Tennessee judicial elections
Tennessee judicial elections come in a few varieties: appellate judges participate in retention elections, while most trial court judges are selected via partisan elections. Judges of the general sessions courts participate in nonpartisan elections.[1] Judicial elections are held in August of even-numbered years, during the statewide primary.[2]
Elected judges take office on September 1st.[3] Judges on the supreme court, court of appeals, and court of criminal appeals are all voted upon by the voters of the whole state.[4]
Tennessee is one of eight states that use partisan elections to initially select judges and then use retention elections to determine whether judges should remain on the bench. To read more about how states use judicial elections to select judges across the country, click here.
| Supreme Court | Court of Appeals | Court of Criminal Appeals | Chancery Court | Criminal Court | Circuit Court | General Sessions Court |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retention elections - Eight-year terms | Retention elections - Eight-year terms | Retention elections - Eight-year terms | Partisan elections - Eight-year terms | Partisan elections - Eight-year terms | Partisan elections - Eight-year terms | Nonpartisan elections - Eight-year terms |
Elections
- Tennessee Supreme Court elections, 2024
- Tennessee intermediate appellate court elections, 2024
- Tennessee Supreme Court elections, 2022
- Tennessee intermediate appellate court elections, 2022
- Tennessee intermediate appellate court elections, 2020
- Tennessee local trial court judicial elections, 2018
- Tennessee judicial elections, 2016
- Tennessee judicial elections, 2014
- Tennessee judicial elections, 2012
- Tennessee judicial elections, 2010
Election rules
Primary election
Primary elections may be held for trial court judges. The political parties in each county determine whether or not there will be a primary election in their respective counties.
County primary elections
Counties that are having a primary election will have them on a Tuesday in May. The candidate who wins the county primary election in May will then move on to the county general election in August and run against other party candidates that won their respective primaries.[5]
Primary elections in Tennessee serve to designate a party's nomination and narrow the field down to one candidate from that party for a specific office. A candidate who wins their primary nomination will move on to the general election.[5] It is not uncommon for a candidate to run unopposed in their party primary and then go on to run unopposed in the general election as well. Similarly, candidates may win their primary and go on to run unopposed in the general election.
Voters do not need to declare their party affiliation when they register to vote. However, primary voters must declare whether or not they will be voting in the Democratic or Republican primary.[5]
Tennessee plan
In 1994, the Tennessee State Legislature implemented the Tennessee Plan for the judicial selection of appellate judges (judges of the Tennessee Supreme Court, the Tennessee Court of Appeals, and the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals) in Tennessee. The Tennessee Plan employs a merit-based selection method for judges, conducted by a Judicial Nominating Commission, followed by retention elections and performance evaluations.[6]
Judicial performance evaluations
In Tennessee, appellate judges standing for retention must be evaluated by the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission. Below are the reports from the last ten years:
See also
External links
- Office of Tennessee Secretary of State: Elections
- American Judicature Society, "Judicial Selection in the States: Tennessee," archived September 11, 2014
Footnotes
- ↑ Justia - Tennessee Code, "16-15-202 - Election Term," accessed November 20, 2014
- ↑ LexisNexis, "Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-3-202 (2013)," accessed April 2, 2014
- ↑ Information emailed to Judgepedia by the Director of Communications for the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts on March 24 and April 3, 2014.
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Tennessee," accessed August 5, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Hamilton County, Tennessee Election Commission: Differences Between Primary Elections & General Elections, accessed May 4, 2014
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Judicial Selection in the States: Tennessee," archived September 11, 2014
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Federal courts:
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee
State courts:
Tennessee Supreme Court • Tennessee Court of Appeals • Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals • Tennessee Circuit Court • Tennessee Chancery Courts • Tennessee Criminal Court • Tennessee Probate Court • Tennessee General Sessions Court • Tennessee Juvenile Court • Tennessee Municipal Court
State resources:
Courts in Tennessee • Tennessee judicial elections • Judicial selection in Tennessee
