Tennessee Supreme Court
| Tennessee Supreme Court | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Established | 1841 |
| Country | Tennessee, United States |
| Location | Knoxville, Nashville, and Jackson |
| Composition method | Executive selection plus Non-partisan retention see Tennessee Plan |
| Authorized by | Tennessee Constitution |
| Decisions are appealed to | Supreme Court of the United States |
| No. of positions | 5 |
| Website | Official website |
| Chief Justice | |
| Currently | Jeffrey S. Bivins |
The Tennessee Supreme Court is the ultimate judicial tribunal of the state of Tennessee. Jeffrey S. Bivins is the Chief Justice.
Unlike other states, in which the state attorney general is directly elected or appointed by the governor or state legislature, the Tennessee Supreme Court appoints the Tennessee Attorney General.
The Tennessee State Constitution, adopted in 1870, calls for five justices, no more than two of whom may come from any one of the state's three Grand Divisions (East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee) in order to prevent regional bias. For the same purpose, the court is required to convene alternately in Knoxville, Nashville, and Jackson. In recent years this provision has been regarded as permissive rather than restrictive, and the court has also met in other cities throughout the state as part of a legal education project for high school students.
The justices serve eight-year terms and can succeed themselves. The office of chief justice rotates among the justices. Justices are required to recuse themselves in cases in which they may have a personal interest; the whole court once had to step aside and a case be heard by a special court appointed by the governor, this occurring when the court itself became the subject of litigation, as described below.
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Wikipedia