Tennessee intermediate appellate court elections, 2026
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The terms of twoTennessee intermediate appellate court judges will expire on September 1, 2026. The two seats are up forretention election on August 6, 2026. The filing deadline was January 1, 2026.
Candidates and results
Valerie Smith's seat
Tennessee Court of Appeals Western Section, Valerie Smith's seat
Valerie Smith is running for retention to theTennessee Court of Appeals Western Section onAugust 6, 2026.
Retention Vote | % | Votes | |||
Yes | |||||
No | |||||
Total Votes | |||||
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Steven W. Sword's seat
Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Eastern Section, Steven W. Sword's seat
Steven W. Sword is running for retention to theTennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Eastern Section onAugust 6, 2026.
Retention Vote | % | Votes | |||
Yes | |||||
No | |||||
Total Votes | |||||
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Voting information
- See also:Voting in Tennessee
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Court of Appeals selection
Thetwelve judges on theTennessee Court of Appeals are selected throughassisted appointment. The governor selects a nominee from a list of recommended candidates from a judicial nominating commission. The nominee must be confirmed by theTennessee General Assembly. Judges face retention elections at the end of their terms.[1][2][3]
The appointment system was adjusted in 2014 with the passage of a state ballot measure titledTennessee Judicial Selection, Amendment 2. The measure added the required confirmation by the Tennessee legislature. While Tennessee state law changed in 2014 to eliminate the judicial nominating commission and require legislative approval of the governor’s appointee, Gov. Bill Haslam’s Executive Order No. 54 and Gov. Bill Lee’s subsequentExecutive Order No. 87 re-established the judicial nominating commission for appointments. Accordingly, Tennessee’s process is effectivelyassisted appointment with legislative confirmation.
Qualifications
To serve this court, a judge must be:
- authorized to practice law in the state;
- a district resident;
- a state resident for five years; and
- at least 30 years old.[2]
Vacancies
If a midterm vacancy occurs on the court, the governor appoints a replacement judge from a list from a judicial nominating commission. The nominee must be confirmed by both chambers of the state legislature. If filling an interim vacancy, the appointee stands forretention in the next general election at least 30 days after the vacancy occurred. The retained judge serves out the remainder of the unexpired term before again running for retention to serve a full eight-year term.[1][2] Judges are voted upon by the voters of the whole state.[4]
Court of Criminal Appeals selection
Thetwelve judges on theTennessee Court of Criminal Appeals are selected throughassisted appointment. The governor selects a nominee from a list of recommended candidates from a judicial nominating commission. The nominee must be confirmed by theTennessee General Assembly. Judges face retention elections at the end of their terms.[1][2][3]
The appointment system was adjusted in 2014 with the passage of a state ballot measure titledTennessee Judicial Selection, Amendment 2. The measure added the required confirmation by the Tennessee legislature. While Tennessee state law changed in 2014 to eliminate the judicial nominating commission and require legislative approval of the governor’s appointee, Gov. Bill Haslam’s Executive Order No. 54 and Gov. Bill Lee’s subsequentExecutive Order No. 87 re-established the judicial nominating commission for appointments. Accordingly, Tennessee’s process is effectivelyassisted appointment with legislative confirmation.
Qualifications
To serve this court, a judge must be:
- authorized to practice law in the state;
- a district resident;
- a state resident for five years; and
- at least 30 years old.[2]
Vacancies
If a midterm vacancy occurs on the court, the governor appoints a replacement judge from a list from a judicial nominating commission. The nominee must be confirmed by both chambers of the state legislature. If filling an interim vacancy, the appointee stands forretention in the next general election at least 30 days after the vacancy occurred. The retained judge serves out the remainder of the unexpired term before again running for retention to serve a full eight-year term.[1][2] Judges are voted upon by the voters of the whole state.[4]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑1.01.11.21.3Lexis Nexis, "Tennessee Code Annotated § 17-4-101," accessed April 25, 2024
- ↑2.02.12.22.32.42.5American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Tennessee," archived September 11, 2014
- ↑3.03.1American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Tennessee; Judicial Nominating Commissions," accessed September 30, 2021
- ↑4.04.1National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Tennessee," accessed August 5, 2016
Federal courts:
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court:Eastern District of Tennessee,Middle District of Tennessee,Western District of Tennessee • U.S. Bankruptcy Court:Eastern District of Tennessee,Middle District of Tennessee,Western District of Tennessee
State courts:
Tennessee Supreme Court•Tennessee Court of Appeals•Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals•Tennessee Circuit Court•Tennessee Chancery Courts•Tennessee Criminal Court•Tennessee Probate Court•Tennessee General Sessions Court•Tennessee Juvenile Court•Tennessee Municipal Court
State resources:
Courts in Tennessee •Tennessee judicial elections •Judicial selection in Tennessee
