News
July 22, 2020
For decades now, Memphis and Shelby County Juvenile Court Judge Dan H. Michael has been a tireless advocate for the children of Tennessee. Whether serving as executive director of CASA or in various capacities in juvenile court over the years, Judge Michael has always put the best interests of…
July 20, 2020
Tennessee’s many recovery courts play a critical role in reducing recidivism and improving the lives of those with substance use disorders in the state. These intensive court programs give repeat offenders a chance to break the cycle of their addiction and become productive members of society…
July 16, 2020
In an opinion released today, the Tennessee Supreme Court determined that, when analyzing a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, trial counsel’s failure to file a timely motion for new trial does not require a presumption of prejudice, overruling the Court’s previous decision in Wallace v.…
July 14, 2020
The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals and Tennessee Court of Appeals will both continue live-streaming oral arguments this week. Since June, the intermediate appellate courts have live-streamed more than 50 oral arguments to YouTube. The Court of Criminal Appeals has been holding in-person…
July 13, 2020
The Tennessee Supreme Court today ordered the cancellation of the Uniform Bar Examination in Tennessee scheduled for September 30-October 1, 2020, citing the current trajectory of the Covid-19 pandemic. Although stringent public health and safety protocols were planned for the administration of the…
July 9, 2020
The Tennessee Supreme Court today issued an Order requiring all persons entering a courthouse for the purpose of court-related business to wear a face covering over the nose and mouth. The face covering shall be worn at all…
July 6, 2020
The Tennessee Supreme Court in a unanimous decision has held that acquitted-act evidence, evidence of a prior act for which a defendant was acquitted in a previous trial, may be used against that defendant in a subsequent trial if it meets the requirements of Tennessee Rule of Evidence 404(b).…
July 2, 2020
The Tennessee Supreme Court issued an order today canceling the July 28 -29, 2020 administration of the Uniform Bar Examination in Tennessee. Although stringent public health and safety protocols were planned for the administration of the July 2020 examination, the potential benefits of…
July 1, 2020
Buddy Stockwell has been appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court as the new executive director of the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP). Stockwell comes from south Louisiana where has been a volunteer and program monitor for the state’s Committee on Alcohol and Drug Abuse since…
June 29, 2020
The Tennessee Supreme Court today clarified that an appeal of an order of protection issued by a general sessions court must take place within 10 days, and the common law writ of error has been abolished.In the case before the Supreme Court, a general sessions court entered a one-year order of…
June 26, 2020
The Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts recently awarded over $337,000 in grants from the Parent Education and Mediation Fund (PEMF) and the Victim Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP) of Tennessee to not-for-profit community organizations across the state.In all, 19 organizations…
June 25, 2020
The Tennessee Supreme Court today issued the following statement on its commitment to equal justice:The Latin phrase that adorns the seal of the judiciary for the State of Tennessee means, “Let justice be done, though the heavens fall.” In many instances over the past few months, it seemed…
June 24, 2020
The Tennessee Supreme Court today issued orders in the appeals of Earle J. Fisher et al. vs. Tre Hargett et al. and Benjamin Lay et al v. Mark Goins et al. These cases were first decided in the Chancery Court for Davidson County and involve absentee voting in the state.…
June 23, 2020
Approaching three decades on the bench this September, 26th Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Roy B. Morgan, Jr., the incoming president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference, has just about seen it all. With both civil and criminal jurisdiction in his West Tennessee district, Judge Morgan has…
June 18, 2020
Outgoing Tennessee Judicial Conference President Judge Don Elledge has announced the results of the conference’s election of new officers, who will take their positions on June 19.Twenty-Sixth Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Roy B. Morgan, Jr., will succeed Judge Elledge as president of the…
June 16, 2020
The latest edition of Tennessee Court Talk focuses on trends and issues facing self-represented litigants, or pro se litigants who head to court without an attorney. Across the country, approximately three in five people involved in civil cases are not represented by an attorney in court,…
June 15, 2020
The Tennessee Supreme Court today upheld the transfer of a West Tennessee assistant principal to a teaching position at another school. The Court held that the plaintiff assistant principal, a tenured teacher, did not prove that the transfer violated Tennessee’s Teacher Tenure Act.Stephen Geller…
June 12, 2020
The Tennessee Supreme Court today held that a city’s employee handbook did not give a firefighter who was discharged a right to stay in his job. The Court clarified that employees can claim rights based on employee handbooks only when the handbooks say specifically they are intended to be a…
June 12, 2020
The Tennessee Supreme Court has held that a plaintiff who alleged that a massage therapist sexually assaulted her during a massage did not have to present expert testimony to support her claim against the therapist’s employer for negligent training, supervision, and retention. Expert testimony was…
June 11, 2020
Over the past few weeks, courts across the state of Tennessee have been expanding in-person proceedings pursuant to a Supreme Court Order issued April 24. That Order asked for each of the state’s 31 judicial districts to submit a plan to the Supreme Court detailing the safeguards and procedures…