News
September 28, 2022
The late Coffee County General Sessions Judge Timothy R. Brock is the 2022 recipient of the prestigious Leon Ruben Award for Excellence, presented at the recent General Sessions Judges Conference in Chattanooga. The families of Judge Brock and the late Judge Leon Ruben were in attendance, as was…
September 23, 2022
Former AOC Director Deborah Taylor Tate is the recipient of the 2022 Friend of the Conference Award by the Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conference. The award is given to an individual who has devoted their career to the legal profession, the judiciary and the conference. It was presented to…
September 1, 2022
Tennessee jurists from Mountain City to Memphis, from Supreme Court justices to general sessions judges, began new eight-year judicial terms today, September 1, 2022. The judges were elected or retained during the August general election. The previous judicial term ran from September 1, 2014 to…
July 14, 2022
The Tennessee Judiciary is mourning the loss of Sumner County General Sessions Judge Mike Carter, who passed away July 13 at the age of 64. Judge Carter was appointed to the bench in 2015 after a third general sessions judge position was created in the county. He won re-election in 2016 to a six-…
June 29, 2022
On July 1, 1979, Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” topped the charts. You might say it’s a fitting anthem for Montgomery County General Sessions & Juvenile Court Judge Wayne Chavis Shelton. Judge Shelton was appointed to the bench on that very day, to the newly created position of Division II…
April 29, 2022
Grundy County native HunterGirl advanced to the Top 10 of American Idol, Season 20, on Monday, April 25 with her rendition of Dolly Parton’s “9 To 5.” She also happens to be the niece of Grundy County General Sessions Judge William R. (Trey) Anderson, III.
“I didn’t know she was on American Idol…
April 4, 2022
Judge Katerina Vatulina Moore was born in Ukraine. She grew up in Zaporizhzhia, a city in the south-eastern part of the country, known for its multiple power stations. In fact, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is the largest nuclear power station in Europe. When Judge Moore watches the…
March 16, 2022
Hamilton County General Sessions Judge Gary Starnes was presented the 2021 Leon Ruben Memorial Award for Excellence at the spring 2022 General Sessions Judges Conference.This award is given out annually to a judge or judges who distinguish themselves through their outstanding service to the…
January 13, 2022
The Tennessee judiciary is mourning the loss of retired Judge Barbara Jean Norman Haynes, who passed away on January 13 at the age of 84. Judge Haynes served on the bench for 29 years and retired in 2011.Judge Haynes began her judicial career in 1982 as a Davidson County General Sessions…
December 27, 2021
The Judges Making a Difference Award recognizes recovery court judges who give it their all. McNairy County General Sessions Judge Van D. McMahan and 22nd Judicial District Judge David Allen were honored with this year’s awards from the Tennessee Association of Recovery Court Professionals.…
December 7, 2021
Four Tennessee judges recently attended the 15th Annual Judicial Symposium on Civil Justice Issues, sponsored by the Law & Economics Center (LEC) of George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School.“The program presented discussions of a variety of issues currently being faced by our legal…
December 3, 2021
Chancellor Pamela Fleenor, 11th Judicial District, was excited and honored to swear-in her daughter, Christina Michelle Fleenor, on November 17.
“She asked me. She said, ‘Mom, do you want to swear me in?’ And I said, ‘sure.’ The other choice this year was to do it virtually by the Supreme…
November 15, 2021
Chancellor George R. Ellis passed away on November 15, a day after his 73rd birthday.Chancellor Ellis served the 28th Judicial District, which includes Crockett, Gibson and Haywood counties, since 1993, and was re-elected four times.Prior to taking the bench as a chancellor, he served as a General…
November 11, 2021
Six Tennessee counties have developed special diversionary courts aimed at lending a hand and focused approach to Veterans who are struggling and find themselves on the wrong side of the law. These special Veterans Treatment Courts recognize the transition from military to civilian life is not…
November 9, 2021
The Board of Judicial Conduct issued a Public Reprimand for Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Gerald Webb. Read the Public Reprimand here.
October 21, 2021
General Sessions Judge Daniel B. Eisenstein was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Fall 2021 General Sessions Conference on October 6.
The award, which was presented by Judge Lynda Jones, General Sessions Conference President, is given to a member of the conference who…
October 18, 2021
Judge Jimmy C. Smith, of Obion County, is the 2020 recipient of Leon Ruben Award of Excellence, which he accepted at the Fall 2021 General Sessions Judges Conference. The Leon Ruben Award for Excellence is presented annually to a judge or judges who distinguish themselves through their outstanding…
October 14, 2021
Judges from across the state of Tennessee gathered in Nashville last week for the Fall 2021 General Sessions Judges Conference. After a challenging year of working through the Covid-19 pandemic, the conference adopted a fitting theme for the year ahead: Relax, Renew, Recharge. The Honorable Lynda…
October 13, 2021
The Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conference (TGSJC) recently elected Hamilton County General Sessions and Mental Health Court Judge Lila Statom as its new president. The TGSJC is comprised of Tennessee General Sessions Judges across the state and works with the Administrative Office of the…
September 7, 2021
The Board of Judicial Conduct has issued a 30-day suspension for Lewis County General Sessions and Juvenile Judge Michael Hinson. Read the Board's Suspension here.