Tennessee Court of Appeals

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The Tennessee Court of Appeals was created in 1925 by the Tennessee General Assembly as an intermediate appellate court to hear appeals in civil cases from the Tennessee state trial courts. (Appeals from criminal cases are heard by the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals.) Appeals of judgments made by the Court of Appeals may be made to the Tennessee Supreme Court.

The Court has twelve judges who sit on three-judge panels in Jackson, Knoxville, and Nashville. Judges are chosen via the Tennessee Plan: they are elected every eight years, and must be evaluated prior to the election in order to keep voters informed. If a vacancy occurs between election cycles (for example, if a judge dies or retires), the 17-member Judicial Selection Commission interviews applicants and recommends three candidates to the governor. The governor then appoints a new judge to serve in the interim period until the next August general election.

The twelve judges presiding on the Court as of January 2008 are: