News
August 12, 2002
Videos in Kurdish, Arabic, Spanish, Vietnamese, Russian, Laotian and English explaining basic rights of defendants, parental rights in abuse and neglect cases and how to obtain orders of protection are available on the court system website at www.tsc.state.tn.us."The videos are among several steps…
August 20, 2002
Justice Adolpho A. Birch, Jr., of the Tennessee Supreme Court has received the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity’s top honor, the Barbara Jordan Award, for his lifetime commitment to public service.The award presented by the international organization is named in honor of former U.S. Rep. Barbara of…
August 21, 2002
Chief Justice Frank Drowota, III, the longest-serving judge in the 178-member Tennessee Judicial Conference, will be sworn in Friday at 1:30 p.m. for a full four-year term as chief justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court.His mother, Mrs. Vivian Drowota, also of Nashville, will attend the ceremony in…
August 29, 2002
A standard for state appellate court review of cases in which juries have rejected insanity defenses was announced Thursday by the Tennessee Supreme Court in a decision involving a Memphis man who shot a church counselor.The court unanimously held that appellate courts reviewing cases in which…
August 27, 2002
The state's 19,000 lawyers and their clients will be affected beginning March 1, 2003, by substantially revised ethics rules for attorneys adopted Tuesday by the Tennessee Supreme Court to replace the current 32-year-old code of conduct. The court's order overhauling the rules was prompted by a…
September 4, 2002
The public is entitled to scrutinize the records of private entities doing business with the state to the extent they become the “functional equivalent” of government agencies, the Tennessee Supreme Court said Thursday in a decision addressing two significant right-to-know issues.The unanimous…
September 16, 2002
The death sentence Richard Hale Austin received for his role in the murder-for-hire fatal shooting of a Memphis undercover agent was affirmed Monday in a 4-1 decision by the Tennessee Supreme Court.Austin has twice been sentenced to death for paying Jack Charles Blankenship to kill Julian Watkins…
October 7, 2002
A Hamilton County man who repeatedly confessed to committing felony murder and numerous counts of aggravated rape was not denied his constitutional right to effective legal counsel, the Tennessee Supreme Court said Monday in a decision affirming his convictions and sentence of death.Justice E.…
October 14, 2002
High school students from Bradley, McMinn, Monroe and Polk counties will participate Nov. 7 in a state Supreme Court program designed to educate young Tennesseans about the judicial branch of government.The 650 students and their teachers from 9 public and private schools will attend a special…
December 11, 2002
The Tennessee Supreme Court has appointed three members to the state Board of Professional Responsibility which investigates complaints against attorneys and disciplines lawyers who violate professional rules.Mark L. Hayes, a Dyer County attorney, was reappointed by the court for a three year term…
December 19, 2002
Property owners whose trees cause substantial damage to adjoining property may be held financially responsible, the Tennessee Supreme Court said Thursday in a unanimous decision providing a new legal remedy for neighbors harmed by encroaching limbs or roots.The ruling, written by Chief Justice…
December 19, 2002
For the first time, Tennessee has certified foreign language interpreters available to assist court users who speak and understand little or no English.The seven interpreters, certified in Spanish, have passed written and oral examinations and a criminal background check as required by Tennessee…
January 6, 2003
The death sentence Gerald Powers received for killing a Memphis woman in1996 was affirmed Monday in a 3-2 decision by the Tennessee Supreme Court, with justices divided over whether trial testimony by the defendant’s wife should have been allowed.In an opinion written by Justice Janice M. Holder,…
January 10, 2003
The Tennessee Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Court of Criminal Appeals and Appellate Court Clerk's Office will move into this historic United States Post Office Building in Knoxville. In remarks at an open house, Justice E. Riley Anderson thanked the City of Knoxville, Knox County and others for…
January 31, 2003
The Tennessee Supreme Court has denied a post-conviction appeal filed by Stephen Michael West, who was sentenced to death for the 1986 murders of a Union County mother and daughter.In an order filed Friday, the court without comment turned down the application to appeal. The order leaves in place a…
March 24, 2003
A federal grant is making it possible for Tennessee to join a growing number of states exploring how to improve access to justice for pro se litigants - those doing business in courts without the assistance of lawyers.The Administrative Office of the Courts applied for the $20,000 State Justice…
April 3, 2003
High school students from Dyer and Lake counties will participate April 10 in a state Supreme Court program designed to educate young Tennesseans about the judicial branch of government.The 300 students and their teachers from three schools will attend a special Supreme Court session at the Dyer…
May 9, 2003
The number of certified and registered foreign language court interpreters in Tennessee has reached 53, including nine certified in Spanish, 40 registered in Spanish and four registered in Arabic, Portuguese, Dutch and Bulgarian/Russian. The certified interpreters have passed written and oral…
May 12, 2003
Chattanooga attorney Christopher H. Steger has been appointed assistant examiner to the state Board of Law Examiners, which governs the testing and admission of prospective lawyers in Tennessee. Steger, of the Miller & Martin firm in Nashville, is one of 12 assistant examiners who help write…
May 19, 2003
American Legion Boys State delegates from high schools in all 95 counties will participate May 28 in the SCALES Program, an acronym for the Supreme Court Advancing Legal Education for Students. SCALES, a Tennessee Supreme Court initiative, educates young Tennesseans about the judicial branch of…