1. The state of Tennessee selects its high court/supreme court judges in uncontested retention elections after initial appointment
2.Tennessee selects its intermediate appellate court judges through uncontested retention elections after initial appointment.
3.Trial court judges in Tennessee are selected through partisan elections for all general jurisdiction trial court judges.
Some of the benefits of selecting judges through popular elections are that the voice of the people is actually heard when this happens and that because of this the judge selected may better represent his or her constituents. Some of the drawbacks of selecting judges through popular elections are that the judges may not be selected based on their integrity or merits of accomplishment, but rather on their persona or other extraneous and irrelevant factor. Another drawback is that the selected judges may only be concerned with being re-elected instead of doing his or her job (ABA 2009).
The highest level in the Tennessee court system is the state Supreme Court, which has 5 justices. Underneath the Supreme Court are the Court of Appeals and Court of Criminal Appeals, which have three divisions each. Below that are the 31 judicial districts, comprised of the Circuit Court, which has 85 judges; the Chancery Court and Probate Court, which has 34 chancellors and 2 judges; and the Criminal Court, which has 33 judges. Beneath those courts are the Juvenile Court, which is made up of 98 courts and has 17 judges in addition to 93 judges from the General Sessions Court, and the Municipal Court, which is made up of roughly 300 courts and has 251 judges. The lowest levels in the court system are the General Session Court, which has 151 judges, 93 of whom serve the Juvenile Court. 93 counties use the General Session Court, and 2 additional counties have a trial justice court (“Tennessee court system,” 2007).
Recent Felony Arrest
The suspect was speeding on Interstate 40 and was pulled over by a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper, and arrested a fugitive wanted in Washington D.C. A court of General Jurisdiction would hear this case
Tenn. Traffic Stop Nets Felony Arrest, $100K in Duffel Bag. (2008 January, 15) retrieved (2009 October, 26) from Policeone.com website: http://www.policeone.com/
Recent Court Appeal
The case is being appealed based on the new ruling of the Tennessee Court of Appeals that the “paramour clause” can’t force the court to make decisions that are in the best interests of the children. The case will be sent back to the trial court. A Court of General Jurisdiction would hear this case.
Tennessee Appeals Court Unanimously Upholds the Rights of Lesbian Mom. 2009, (September, 21) retrieved (2009 October 26) from eNews Park Forest website: http://www.enewspf.com/index.
American Bar Association. (2009, October 27). ABA
FACT SHEET ON JUDICIAL SELECTION METHODS IN THE STATES. Retrieved from httzp://www.abanet.org/leadership/fact_sheet.pdf
(2007). Tennessee court structure as of 2007. Retrieved from http://www.ncsconline.org/D_
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