(09/27/2005)
The Tennessee Supreme Court has set a Nov. 1 deadline for applicants hoping to succeed Justice Cornelia Clark as director of the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) in Nashville. Clark served as AOC director from 1999 until last week when Gov. Phil Bredesen appointed her to the state Supreme Court.
“We were fortunate to have had an outstanding court system administrator for the past six years,” said Chief Justice E. Riley Anderson. “My colleagues on the court and I are confident we will be able to fill the position with another director of that caliber.
The AOC director serves as chief administrative officer for the state court system and reports directly to the chief justice. The office overseen by the director prepares and administers a $90 million court system budget and provides support to about 190 judges and 490 other court system employees.
Applicants for the position must be licensed to practice law in Tennessee. Anderson said judicial or significant litigation experience is preferred, as is experience in court administration or management.
Cover letters, resumes and letters
of reference should be sent to Interim Director Libby Sykes,
Administrative Office of the Courts, 511 Union St., Suite 600, Nashville,
TN 37219.
Nashville - Governor Phil Bredesen today named Cornelia "Connie" Clark to serve as the newest justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court, where she will fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Frank Drowota.
"Each day in her work, Judge Clark displays the qualities required in a Supreme Court justice. She's knowledgeable of the law, hard-working, articulate, and always conducts herself with the highest of moral standards," Bredesen said. "I'm confident that in Judge Clark we've chosen the best person to fill this important position."
Clark has served since May 1999 as director of the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts, where she managed a $90 million annual budget and supervised activities assigned by the Tennessee Supreme Court and the state's General Assembly. Prior to that, she served as circuit judge for the 21st Judicial District. From 1979-1989, Clark practiced law as a partner with the Nashville firm of Farris, Warfield & Kanaday (now Stites & Harbison).
"I am honored that Governor Bredesen has selected me to serve the people of Tennessee in this position that holds such a high degree of public trust," Clark said. "I promise to discharge my duties to the best of my ability and to always put the public good first in my work."
Clark, 55, holds a bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University and a master's degree in teaching from Harvard University. She earned her law degree from Vanderbilt School of Law, where she also served ten years as an adjunct professor. She is a member of the board of directors of the Conference of State Court Administrators and a faculty member of the National Judicial College. Clark is also a member of the Williamson County, Tennessee and American Bar Associations.
Clark, a native of Williamson County, has served as a faculty member of the American Academy of Judicial Education, as a member of the Nashville Bar Association's Board of Directors and as chairman of the Tennessee Bar Foundation. As a judge, Clark served as vice president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference and as Dean of the Tennessee Judicial Academy.
Justice Drowota, who retired from the Tennessee Supreme Court this month, served from 1980-2005 as Associate Justice.
(09/14/2005)
The Tennessee Judicial Evaluation Commission will meet in Memphis Thursday and Friday to interview nine of the state's 29 appellate court judges who will be evaluated to help voters make informed decisions in 2006.
The evaluation of appellate court judges was mandated by the legislature in 1994. The five Supreme Court justices, 12 Court of Appeals judges and 12 Court of Criminal Appeals judges are elected every eight years on a yes-no retention ballot. Under the law, the judges must be evaluated by the independent Judicial Evaluation Commission and the results published major newspapers across the state. The commission makes a recommendation "for retention" or "against retention" for each appellate court judge.
A Supreme Court rule, which is a companion to the state law, requires that appellate court judges be evaluated on their integrity; knowledge and understanding of the law; ability to communicate; preparation and attentiveness; service to the profession and public; and effectiveness.
Judges being interviewed Thursday are Supreme Court Justice Janice M. Holder of Memphis; Court of Appeals Judges William Frank Crawford of Memphis, David R. Farmer of Jackson and Alan E. Highers of Henderson and Court of Criminal Appeals Judges Alan E. Glenn of Memphis and David G. Hayes of Jackson. On Friday, the commission will interview Court of Appeals Judge Holly M. Kirby of Memphis and Court of Criminal Appeals Judges J.C. McLin of Memphis and John Everette Williams of Huntingdon. Interviews with the remaining judges are scheduled Oct. 17-18 in Nashville and Nov. 3-4 in Knoxville.
Commission members are Quincy Barlow of Covington, John A. Day of Brentwood, Jeff DeVasher of Nashville, Chancellor Telford E. Forgety, Jr., of Dandridge, Henrietta Grant of Knoxville, Dr. Barbara Short Haskew of Chattanooga, Chancellor Carol L. McCoy of Nashville, Circuit Court Judge Roger A. Page of Jackson, Chancellor Howell N. Peoples of Chattanooga, Sarah Y. Sheppeard of Knoxville and Barbara Walls of Somerville. Justice William M. Barker serves as Supreme Court liaison to the commission.
(09/09/2005)
Cornelia Clark, administrative director of the Tennessee court system, has been invited to represent United States courts at a conference in Madrid, organized by Spanish officials to assist with a legally-mandated overhaul of their judicial system.
"Our legal system often is used by other nations as a model," Clark said. "I am tremendously honored to have been asked to share information about our courts as Spain considers how to improve its system of justice."
The Spanish government is paying Clark's expenses to take part in the meeting Sept. 28-30. The conference, which also includes representatives from Italy, Great Britain, France, Costa Rica and other countries, will focus on the organization and management of courts and cases. Clark, who was recommended by the National Center for State Courts, is presenting a session on "Organizational and Managerial Considerations about the Courts: Lessons from the State Courts in the United States."
The Tennessee courts director was appointed to her position by the Tennessee Supreme Court in 1999. She previously served as a Circuit Court Judge for the 21st Judicial District. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vanderbilt University, a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Harvard University and a law degree from the Vanderbilt School of Law.
The state Court of the Judiciary, which investigates complaints against judges, disposed of a record 440 cases during the past fiscal year, with a majority dismissed as having no merit, said Chancellor Steven Stafford, presiding judge for the 16-member court.
“The court’s disciplinary counsel, retired Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Joe Riley, summarily dismissed 60 percent of the complaints as having no merit,” Stafford said. “An additional 31 percent were dismissed after a preliminary investigation. Only 9 percent of the complaints went beyond a preliminary investigation. Of these cases, seven were dismissed after a full investigation; 26 were dismissed with a warning; three resulted in deferred discipline agreements; two resulted in private sanctions; and one resulted in a public censure.”
Stafford said 345 of the complaints were filed from July 1, 2004, through June 30, 2005. The majority of complaints received, 116, were against criminal court judges, while 75 were general sessions judges; 67 circuit court judges; 31 chancellors; 12 juvenile court judges; nine municipal court judges; eight appellate court judges; eight referees; eight special judges; three commissioners; two probate court judges; and six others.
The court, which includes 10 judges, three lawyers and three lay members, receives complaints alleging judicial misconduct such as bias, discourtesy, conflicts of interest, engaging in improper political activity and abusing the powers of office. The disciplinary counsel reviews each complaint and, if warranted, conducts interviews and a further investigation. If the disciplinary counsel believes there is evidence to support a complaint, he recommends a full investigation to a panel of the Court of the Judiciary. Other cases are dismissed as meritless.
In cases in which a possible violation is found, the disciplinary counsel will recommend a sanction or may recommend the filing of formal charges. If the court’s Investigative panel agrees, a trial may be conducted and sanctions may be imposed ranging from suspension to a recommendation that the judge be removed from office.
(09/01/2005)
For the fourth time since 1990, E. Riley Anderson of Knoxville has been elected chief justice of the five-member Tennessee Supreme Court. He succeeds former Chief Justice Frank F. Drowota, III, who retired from the court effective Sept. 2.
In an order filed Friday, the court unanimously said Anderson will serve in the position until Drowota's seat on the court is filled by Gov. Phil Bredesen and the full court elects a new chief justice. The chief justice elected by the court will serve until Aug. 31, 2006, which would have been the end of Drowota's four-year term.
Anderson was elected to the Supreme Court in 1990 and again in 1998
for eight-year terms. He served as chief justice from October 1994-May
1996 and was re-elected chief justice in July 1997 and served until
August 1998, when he was elected to a four-year term. The court
adopted a rule in December 1997 providing for four-year terms for
the chief justice. Anderson stepped down from the position Sept. 1, 2001,
and Drowota was elected to succeed him.
“I am honored by the confidence of my colleagues to lead the court during
this time of transition,” Anderson said.
Anderson was appointed by Gov.
Ned McWherter to the Tennessee Court of Appeals in 1987 and was
elected in 1988. He remained on the Court of Appeals until his election
to the Supreme Court in 1990. Prior to becoming a judge, Anderson practiced
law in Oak Ridge.
Anderson earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University
of Tennessee.
Governor Phil Bredesen today named attorney Donald Ray Elledge to serve on the Seventh Circuit Court in Anderson County. Elledge fills a vacancy created by the retirement of James B. Scott, Jr., which is effective Friday, September 2.
“I would like to thank Judge Scott for his honorable service to the state of Tennessee and welcome Donald Elledge to the Seventh Circuit Court with equal enthusiasm,” Bredesen said. “Donald brings a generous character, a strong work ethic and solid legal expertise to his new position, and I am confident he will serve with distinction.”
Elledge is co-owner and partner at the Shattuck & Elledge law firm in Clinton, Tenn. His 28-year legal career has included a focus on domestic relations, criminal defense, civil litigation and estate law and has also included trial, appellate and mediation work.
Before becoming an attorney, Elledge taught elementary school and coached high school football in DeKalb County. Prior, he served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Infantry, ending his service with an honorable discharge and the National Defense Medal.
“I am truly honored to have been selected and appointed by Governor Bredesen,” Elledge said. “This position carries obvious responsibility, and the Governor has placed a lot of trust in me.”
Elledge, 56, is an Anderson County resident and a West Virginia native. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, Tenn., and a doctor of jurisprudence from the YMCA Night Law School in Nashville. He is a current member of the Tennessee Bar Association’s House of Delegates, a board member with the City of Clinton Board of Education and a member of the Tennessee School Board Association. Elledge has served as president of the Anderson County Bar Association, as president of Clinton’s Civitan Club and as a member of the city’s Regional Planning Commission.
(08/29/2005)
Chancellor Steven Stafford of the 29 th Judicial District, including Dyer
and Lake counties, has been reelected presiding judge of the Tennessee
Court of the Judiciary. The 15-member panel, created by the General
Assembly, receives complaints against judges and is authorized by state
law to impose sanctions or recommend removal from office when appropriate.
“The Court of the Judiciary is an important component of the justice system in Tennessee ,” Stafford said. “It provides a forum for anyone who believes a judge may have violated the Code of Judicial Conduct. The work of the court helps instil public trust and confidence in the judicial system.”
Violations for which judges may be sanctioned include discourteous treatment of parties in court, conflicts of interest, receiving improper gifts, displaying obvious bias in court proceedings and abusing the powers of office. The Code of Judicial Conduct is a rule of the Tennessee Supreme Court.
Stafford , who has served on the Court of the Judiciary since 1999, is a past president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference, which includes all of the state’s appellate, trial and senior judges. He also serves as dean of the Tennessee Judicial Academy and was a member of the statewide Public Trust and Confidence in the Courts Committee. He serves on a special joint committee of the General Assembly created to determine whether Tennessee ’s 31 judicial districts should be modified and also represents the judiciary on a committee exploring how to improve access to justice for self-represented litigants.
He has been chancellor in his district since 1993 and was part-time city judge for Dyersburg from 1988-93. He was in the private practice of law from 1983 until he became chancellor.
Stafford , who earned his undergraduate degree at UT Martin and his law degree at the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham , AL , is married to Tempe Collins Stafford and has two children, Lynlee, 24, and Sydnee, 13.
(08/12/2004)
Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Adolpho A. Birch, Jr., and 20th Judicial District Criminal Court Judge Monte Watkins have received honors from the National Bar Association (NBA). Founded in 1925, the NBA is the oldest and largest organization of African-American lawyers and judges with 20,000 members.
At a conference in Orlando, FL, this month, Birch was awarded The William H. Hastie Award, the highest award of the NBA’s Judicial Council. It is awarded for excellence in legal and judicial scholarship and commitment to justice. In 1949, Hastie became the first African-American appointed as a federal circuit judge. He also served as the first African-American governor of the Virgin Islands and was dean of the Howard University Law School.
The Judicial Council also elected Watkins to its executive board, succeeding Birch. The Judicial Council of the NBA was founded by judges to help end racial and class bias in the judicial system.
(07/11/2005)
Criminal Court Judge E. Shayne Sexton of the Eighth Judicial District, including Campbell, Claiborne, Fentress, Scott and Union counties, has received a State Justice Institute grant to attend a four-day Advanced Evidence course at the National Judicial College in Reno, NV.
Sexton, of Jacksboro, was elected to the bench in 1998 and is presiding judge of the Eighth Judicial District. He has completed National Judicial College courses in general jurisdiction, handling capital cases and alternative dispute resolution. Sexton is a former assistant district attorney and also was in the private practice of law.
Consistently rated one of the top courses at NJC, Advanced Evidence enables judges to analyze Federal Rules of Evidence as well as comparing and contrasting common law rules of evidence. After attending this course, participants are equipped to rule on evidentiary issues with greater accuracy and confidence.
The National Judicial College is entering its 42nd year of providing judicial education and professional development. The College offers an average of 90 courses annually with more than 2,700 judges enrolling from all 50 states, U.S. territories and more than 150 countries.
In addition to a National Tribal Judicial Center, the Donald W. Reynolds Courts and Media Center and an International Center, NJC houses technology-enhanced classrooms, a legal resource center, a state-of-the-art model courtroom, modern seminar rooms, distance education facilities and a computer lab.
Chancellor Arnold Goldin of the 30th Judicial District (Shelby County) has completed an advanced evidence course at the National Judicial College in Reno, NV. He received a Bureau of Justice Assistance scholarship to attend the four-day program.
"It was a great learning experience to study evidence issues with judges from all over the country," Goldin said. "It was very thought-provoking and offered new insights I will be able to use."
Consistently rated one of the top courses at NJC, Advanced Evidence enables judges to analyze Federal Rules of Evidence as well as comparing and contrasting common law rules of evidence. After attending this course, participants are equipped to rule on evidentiary issues with greater accuracy and confidence.
The National Judicial College is entering its 42nd year of providing judicial education and professional development. The College offers an average of 90 courses annually with more than 2,700 judges enrolling from all 50 states, U.S. territories and more than 150 countries.
In addition to a National Tribal Judicial Center, the Donald W. Reynolds Courts and Media Center and an International Center, NJC houses technology-enhanced classrooms, a legal resource center, a state-of-the-art model courtroom, modern seminar rooms, distance education facilities and a computer lab.
(07/06/2005)
Chancellor Jeffrey F. Stewart of Winchester has been chosen as president-elect of the Tennessee Judicial Conference, which includes all of the state’s 178 trial and appellate court judges. He will become president of the organization in June 2006 for a one-year term.
Stewart, of the 12 th Judicial District , including Bledsoe, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Rhea and Sequatchie counties, will succeed Criminal Court Judge Arthur Bennett of Memphis.
The president-elect has been a member of the judiciary since 1989. He is a past president of the Tennessee Trial Judges Association and is a member of the Tennessee Judicial Conference Executive Committee and a Fellow in the Tennessee Bar Foundation.
He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of the South and his law degree from the Nashville School of Law. He also attended the National Judicial College.
Stewart and his wife Linda Mayberry Stewart are the parents of four
children. They are members of First United Methodist Church.
(07/01/2005)
Circuit Court Judge William B. Acree, Jr., of the 27th Judicial District
has been elected by his judicial peers statewide to serve as president
of the Tennessee Trial Judges Association (TTJA). All 153 circuit, chancery
and criminal court judges in Tennessee are members.
Acree, of Union City, has served as circuit court judge in Obion
and Weakley counties since 1994. Prior to his appointment, he was in the
private practice of law. He has served as a special judge on the Tennessee
Court of Criminal Appeals, the Tennessee Court of Appeals and the Tennessee
Supreme Court Worker’s Compensation Panel as well as a special master
appointed by the Supreme Court. He was a member this year of the governor’s
Task Force on the Use of Enhancement Factors in Criminal Sentencing. In
2003, he was instrumental in starting a successful drug court in the 27th
Judicial District.
The new president of TTJA earned his B.S. and law degrees from the
University of Tennessee. He spent two years in the United States Army
following his graduation from law school.
Acree is married to the former Ginny O’Brien and has five children.