Government of Tennessee | |
|---|---|
 Logo of the Tennessean government  | |
| Part of | United States of America |
| Constitution | Constitution of Tennessee |
| Legislative branch | |
| Name | General Assembly |
| Type | Bicameral |
| Meeting place | Tennessee State Capitol |
| Upper house | |
| Name | Senate |
| Presiding officer | Randy McNally,Honorable |
| Lower house | |
| Name | House of Representatives |
| Presiding officer | Cameron Sexton,Speaker |
| Executive branch | |
| Head of state andgovernment | |
| Title | Governor |
| Currently | Bill Lee |
| Appointer | Election |
| Cabinet | |
| Name | Cabinet of the State of Tennessee |
| Leader | Governor |
| Headquarters | Tennessee State Capitol |
| Judicial branch | |
| Name | Judiciary of Tennessee |
| Courts | Courts of Tennessee |
| Tennessee Supreme Court | |
| Chief judge | Holly M. Kirby |
| Seat | Nashville,Knoxville, andJackson |
TheGovernment ofTennessee is organized under the provisions of the 1870Constitution of Tennessee, first adopted in 1796.[1] As set forth by the state constitution, administrative influence in Tennessee is divided among three branches of government:executive,legislative, andjudicial.
The seat of the government in Tennessee is located in its capital city ofNashville.
TheGovernor of Tennessee is the Supreme Executive Power set by the state Constitution. The Governor (currently GovernorBill Lee[2]) is responsible for enforcing state laws and the state constitution and is also known as the keeper of theGreat Seal of the State of Tennessee.
TheTennessee Lieutenant Governor is thepresiding officer of the Tennessee Senate and first in line in the succession to the office ofgovernor of Tennessee. If the governor is incapacitated or dies in office, then the lieutenant governor becomes the governor. The lieutenant governor is a state senator elected by the entire Senate to be the Speaker of the Senate.
TheTennessee Governor's Cabinet is an advisory body that oversees the executive branch of the Tennessee state government. Members, titled "commissioners," are appointed by the governor—not subject to the approval of theTennessee General Assembly—and oversee the various government departments and agencies. Additionally, several members of the governor's staff serve in the cabinet. Governor-elects can, and often do, rearrange the departments, and thus the number of commissioners.
Under the incumbent GovernorBill Lee, there are 29 members of the Cabinet: 22 commissioners, 1 director, and 6 members of the Governor's staff.[3]
The state legislature is known as theTennessee General Assembly. It consists of a 33 memberSenate, and a 99 memberHouse of Representatives. Senators serve four-year terms, and house members serve two-year terms. Each chamber elects its own speaker from among its members. The General Assembly is a part-time legislature, typically meeting from January through April or May each year.[4]
The current Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the Senate isRandy McNally (R-Oak Ridge). He was elected on January 10, 2017, and is the second consecutive Republican to hold the office.
The current Speaker of the House isCameron Sexton (R-Crossville)
Tennessee's three constitutional officers are elected by a joint session of the legislature. TheComptroller of the Treasury and State Treasurer are elected for two-year terms, and theSecretary of State is elected for a four-year term.
| Constitutional Office | Incumbent | In office since | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comptroller of the Treasury | Jason E. Mumpower | 2021 | [5] |
| Secretary of State | Tre Hargett | 2009 | [6] |
| State Treasurer | David Lillard | 2009 | [7] |
Source:[8]
TheSupreme Court of Tennessee is the state'shighest court in the state. The Supreme Court is composed of five members: achief justice, and fourjustices. The incumbent Chief Justice isHolly M. Kirby.[9] No more than two justices can be from the sameGrand Division.
As of September 1, 2024[update], the justices of the Tennessee Supreme Court are:
| Justice | Born | Joined | Chief Justice | Term ends[a] | Grand Division represented | Appointed by | Law school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holly M. Kirby,Chief Justice | (1957-07-09)July 9, 1957 (age 68) | September 1, 2014 | 2023–present | 2030 | West | Bill Haslam (R) | Memphis |
| Jeffrey S. Bivins | (1960-08-31)August 31, 1960 (age 65) | July 16, 2014 | 2016–2021 | 2030 | Middle | Bill Haslam (R) | Vanderbilt |
| Sarah K. Campbell | 1982 (age 42–43) | February 10, 2022 | – | 2030 | Middle | Bill Lee (R) | Duke |
| Dwight E. Tarwater | (1955-04-28)April 28, 1955 (age 70) | September 1, 2023 | – | 2024 | East | Bill Lee (R) | Tennessee |
| Mary L. Wagner | 1984 or 1985 (age 40–41) | September 1, 2024 | – | 2026 | West | Bill Lee (R) | Memphis |
In a unique method known as theTennessee Plan, Supreme Court justices, like all other appellate court judges, the Governor fills any vacancies that occur, with the advice and consent of the Tennessee General Assembly, from a list of three judges compiled by a commission. At the next election in which a governor is elected, voters are asked whether they want to retain or remove the newly-confirmed justice. Retention votes are held every eight years after. If voters decide to remove a justice, the process begins again.
As required by the Tennessee Constitution, the Supreme Court regularly meets inJackson,Knoxville, and Nashville. In addition to the regular meetings of the Supreme Court, the Court takes their oral arguments on the road as part of the SCALES program (Supreme Court Advancing Legal Education for Students) a few times each year.
TheTennessee Attorney General is the state's chief legal officer and works to represent all of the state government. The Attorney General employs around 340 people across five offices around the state.
The Tennessee Supreme Court appoints the Attorney General, a method not found in any of the other 49 states. As of 2023,[update] the incumbent Attorney General isJonathan Skrmetti.
The intermediate appellate courts of Tennessee include the court of appeals and the court of criminal appeals. The court of appeals hears cases appealed from probate, chancery, and circuit courts, whereas the court of criminal appeals hears cases appealed from circuit and criminal courts.
Both theCourt of Appeals and theCourt of Criminal Appeals have 12 judges.
Trial courts in the state of Tennessee include probate courts, chancery courts, circuit courts, and criminal courts. The circuit courts, chancery and probate courts, and criminal courts each have 31 judicial districts.
The courts of limited jurisdiction includejuvenile courts,general sessions courts, andmunicipal courts.
Tennessee elects district attorneys by judicial district. They are called "The Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference."
| Judicial District | Counties | District Attorney |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Carter,Johnson,Unicoi, andWashington | Steven R. Finney (R) |
| 2nd | Sullivan | Barry P. Staubus (R) |
| 3rd | Greene,Hamblen,Hancock, andHawkins | Dan E. Armstrong (R) |
| 4th | Cocke,Grainger,Jefferson, andSevier | Jimmy B. Dunn (R) |
| 5th | Blount | Ryan Desmond (R) |
| 6th | Knox | Charme Allen (R) |
| 7th | Anderson | Dave S. Clark (Ind.) |
| 8th | Campbell,Claiborne,Fentress,Scott, andUnion | Jared R. Effler (Ind.) |
| 9th | Loudon,Meigs,Morgan, andRoane | Russell Johnson (Ind.) |
| 10th | Bradley,McMinn,Monroe, andPolk | Stephen Hatchett (R) |
| 11th | Hamilton | Coty Wamp (R) |
| 12th | Bledsoe,Franklin,Grundy,Marion,Rhea, andSequatchie | Courtney Lynch (R) |
| 13th | Clay,Cumberland,DeKalb,Overton,Pickett,Putnam, andWhite | Bryant C. Dunaway (R) |
| 14th | Coffee | Craig Northcott (R) |
| 15th | Jackson,Macon,Smith,Trousdale, andWilson | Jason Lawson (R) |
| 16th | Cannon andRutherford | Jennings H. Jones (R) |
| 17th | Bedford,Lincoln,Marshall, andMoore | Robert J. Carter (Ind.) |
| 18th | Sumner | Ray Whitley (R) |
| 19th | Montgomery andRobertson | Robert Nash (R) |
| 20th | Davidson | Glenn Funk (D) |
| 21st | Hickman,Lewis, andPerry | Stacey B. Edmonson (R) |
| 22nd | Giles,Lawrence,Maury, andWayne | Brent A. Cooper (R) |
| 23rd | Cheatham,Dickson,Houston,Humphreys, andStewart | Ray Crouch, Jr. (R) |
| 24th | Benton,Carroll,Decatur,Hardin, andHenry | Neil Thomson (R) |
| 25th | Fayette,Hardeman,Lauderdale,McNairy, andTipton | Mark E. Davidson (R) |
| 26th | Chester,Henderson, andMadison | Jody Pickens (R) |
| 27th | Obion andWeakley | Colin Johnson (Ind.) |
| 28th | Crockett,Gibson, andHaywood | Frederick Agree (R) |
| 29th | Dyer andLake | Danny Goodman, Jr. (Ind.) |
| 30th | Shelby | Steven J. Mulroy (D) |
| 31st | Van Buren andWarren | Christopher R. Stanford (R) |
| 32nd | Williamson | Hans L. Schwendimann (R) |
Tennessee is divided into political jurisdictions designated ascounties, which derive all of their power from the state. Incorporated cities and towns are those that have been grantedhome rule, possessing a local government in the form of a city or town council.
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All 95counties of Tennessee | |||||||||||||||||
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 Mayors by party Mayors by affiliationAs of 2025 Republican Independent Democratic Republican affiliated Democratic affiliated | |||||||||||||||||
In Tennessee, the county mayor — sometimes referred to as the county executive in certain areas — serves as the chief executive officer of the county government. The county mayor is responsible for overseeing the administration of county departments, managing the county budget, and representing the county in official matters. County mayors are elected to four-year terms, with elections typically held during the August general elections.[12] The structure of these elections varies by county; some counties conduct nonpartisan elections, in which candidates do not run with formal party affiliations, while others hold partisan elections, allowing candidates to be nominated and run under political parties.[13]
Tennessee was the sixteenth state to ratify theUnited States Constitution, on June 21, 1796. Tennessee elects twoUnited States Senators and nine members of theUnited States House of Representatives.
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