Title 16, Courts

(a) The judges of the court of general sessions shall be elected at the general August election each eight (8) years. They shall hold office for the term for which they are elected or until their successors are elected and qualified. Notwithstanding any other provision of private…

The oath of office shall be the same as that prescribed for circuit court judges and chancellors and shall be taken and filed in the same manner and with the same officers as prescribed for circuit court judges and chancellors.

(a) (1) If the judge of a court of general sessions or juvenile court finds it necessary to be absent from holding court, the judge may seek a special judge in accordance with the requirements of and in the numerical sequence designated by this section.(2) If a special judge is n…

(a) Except as provided in subsection (b), any vacancy in the office of judge of the court of general sessions shall be filled by the county legislative body as provided in § 5-1-104. (b) (1) In a multi-county court, the vacancy shall be filled by concurring resolutions of the leg…

All general sessions court judges shall be required to attend seminars offered for the particular benefit of the judges. Guidelines for the seminars, workshops, and training sessions are to be established by the administrative director of the courts. Travel and mileage expenses r…

(a) The clerk of the circuit court of the county shall act as clerk of the court of general sessions, and when acting as clerk of the general sessions court shall be designated as the clerk of the court of general sessions of that county. (b) In addition, the clerk of any special…

In counties governed by a metropolitan government as provided in title 7, the salaries of court officers of circuit, chancery and general sessions courts shall be the same and equal to the salaries of the court officers of the criminal courts of those counties.

(a) A general sessions court clerk shall:(1) Retain, preserve and file away in order, and properly mark for easy reference all the papers in civil cases before them, unless returned or transmitted, in pursuance of law, to the circuit court upon appeal or otherwise;(2) Transmit al…

Separate dockets shall be kept in the court for civil and criminal cases. Upon the civil docket shall be entered the style of each case, the names of the attorneys for the parties, the date of issuance of the warrant and process, the name of the officer to whom delivered, the ret…

(a) Each general sessions court judge is vested with power to:(1) Grant writs of attachment, returnable to the circuit court, in the same manner and to the same extent as the circuit judge;(2) Enter up judgment by confession of a defendant to any amount within the judge's jurisdi…

(1) It is the duty of a general sessions court judge:(1) To return all marriage licenses under which the judge has solemnized the rites of matrimony to the office of the county clerk within thirty (30) days;(2) To deliver over, in case of resignation, removal, or expiration of th…

Every general sessions court judge is a conservator of the peace in the county in which the judge serves, and has authority to administer oaths when required by law, unless the power is expressly entrusted to some other officer, and to exercise such other powers as are conferred …

Each general sessions court judge is authorized to try any cause that may be brought before the judge at any time and at any place within the county, unless expressly prohibited by some positive provision of this code.

(a) A person who is subject to 18 U.S.C. § 922(d)(4) and (g)(4), § 39-17-1307(i), or § 39-17-1316(q)(4) because the person has been adjudicated as a mental defective or judicially committed to a mental institution, as defined in § 16-15-303, may petition the general sessions cour…

Judges of the courts of general sessions shall adopt such rules as may be necessary to expedite the trial and disposal of cases.

(a) For the purpose of determining the compensation of a general sessions judge, the counties of this state are divided into seven (7) classes as follows:(1) Counties having a population of more than forty-nine thousand (49,000) constitute counties of the first class;(2) Counties…

(a) All general sessions judges in Class 1, 2 or 3 counties shall devote full time to the duties of such office and shall be prohibited from the practice of law or any other employment which conflicts with the performance of their duties as judge. (b) General sessions judges in C…

(a) The annual base salaries for general sessions judges shall be as follows:(1) Counties of the first class $70,000(2) Counties of the second class 50,000(3) Counties of the third class 40,000(4) Counties of the fourth class 32,000(5) Counties of the fifth class 26,000(6) Counti…

(a) In any county having a population of not less than seventy-seven thousand seven hundred (77,700) nor more than seventy-seven thousand eight hundred (77,800), according to the 1980 federal census or any subsequent federal census, on July 1 of each year, the general session jud…

(a) (1) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, all persons occupying the office of general sessions judge shall be licensed to practice law in this state.(2) Any person serving in the office of general sessions judge on August 1, 1990, who is not a licensed attorney may s…

(a) Each county shall be responsible for paying the base salary, any supplements and any annual adjustments for all of the general sessions judges in the county. Counties are authorized to impose a local litigation tax on each civil case filed in general sessions court, or in a c…

The administrative director of the courts shall also serve as the administrative director of the Tennessee general sessions judges’ conference. The administrative director of the courts may serve the conference with existing staff or may, with a portion of the proceeds of the lit…

Effective July 1, 1988, there is imposed a litigation tax, in addition to the tax imposed by § 16-15-5007 of two dollars ($2.00) on each civil case filed in general sessions court or in a court where the general sessions judge serves as judge, and of two dollars ($2.00) on each c…

(a) If added jurisdiction to hear probate, domestic relations or workers' compensation cases is given to a general sessions court by private act, cases shall be filed in either the circuit court clerk's or clerk and master's office unless otherwise provided by private act. The ge…

(a) The court of general sessions is vested with all of the jurisdiction and shall exercise the authority formerly conferred by law upon justices of the peace in civil and criminal cases, suits and actions. The jurisdiction, power and authority of the court shall be coextensive w…

The Tennessee code commission shall publish in this code an index of acts pertaining to the jurisdiction of courts of general sessions by county and compile a tabulation of such jurisdiction by court.

Only §§ 16-15-5007 and 16-15-5008 apply to any county having a population in excess of four hundred fifty thousand (450,000) and any county having a population of not less than two hundred eighty-seven thousand seven hundred (287,700) nor more than two hundred eighty-seven thousa…

(a) (1) The administrative office of the courts (AOC), in consultation with the general sessions judges’ conference, court clerks' association, the sheriffs' association and the association of chiefs of police, shall design and promulgate a uniform general sessions court warrant.…

(a) The county commission of any county having a population of eight hundred thousand (800,000) or more, according to the 2000 federal census or any subsequent federal census, may designate a division of the county's general sessions court as the mental health court. The mental h…

(a) In order to maximize and concentrate limited prosecutorial, counseling and other social resources to victims of domestic violence, the tenth division of the Shelby County general sessions court shall serve as the domestic violence court for Shelby County. (b) Provided that th…

Actions to recover personal property may be conducted in general sessions courts, as prescribed in [former] § 29-30-211 [repealed], and §§ 29-30-212 — 29-30-217.

The jurisdiction of general sessions courts, when not otherwise provided, is geographically coextensive with the limits of their respective counties.

Objections to the jurisdiction of the general sessions court before which the warrant is returned shall be made before the hearing, or they will be considered as waived.

Any court governed by this chapter may, by local rule, allow papers to be filed, signed, or verified by electronic means that comply with technological standards promulgated by the supreme court. Pleadings and other papers filed electronically under such local rules shall be cons…

Whenever an infant or incompetent person has a representative, such as a general guardian, conservator or other like fiduciary, the representative may sue or defend on behalf of the infant or incompetent person. If an infant or incompetent person does not have a duly appointed re…

The plaintiff shall have the right to take a voluntary nonsuit or to dismiss an action without prejudice at any time before the cause is finally submitted to the court, but not afterwards; provided, that such a dismissal operates as an adjudication upon the merits when filed by a…

(a) The attendance of witnesses to give testimony in court or by deposition is procured by subpoena or summons, requiring the witness to be present at a prescribed place and time, to give testimony in a case or matter stated in the subpoena or summons, mentioning the names of the…

The suing out of a warrant is the commencement of a civil action within the meaning of this title, whether it is served or not; but if the process is returned unserved, plaintiff, if plaintiff wishes to rely on the original commencement as a bar to the running of a statute of lim…

(a) If a party dies and the claim is not extinguished by the death, the court may order substitution of the proper parties. The motion for substitution may be made by any party or by the successors or representatives of the deceased party and, together with notice of hearing, sha…

In all courts exercising general sessions jurisdiction, the procedure on execution, in proceedings supplementary to and in aid of a judgment, and in proceedings on and in aid of execution shall be in accordance with the statutes of this state and with the general practice followe…

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of the law or private act to the contrary, courts of general sessions have the power to issue attachments and inflict punishments for contempts of court. The punishments for contempts shall be limited to:(1) A fine not exceeding fifty dollars ($5…

Practice and pleadings in the general sessions courts shall be as provided in this chapter and other provisions of law and private acts establishing the courts and local rules of practice not inconsistent with law.

The sheriff shall, unless otherwise provided, provide sufficient bailiffs to serve the general sessions courts.

A civil action in the general sessions courts is commenced by a civil warrant being filed with the clerk in substance as follows:State of Tennessee CountyTo any lawful process server to execute and return: summon defendant to appear before the general sessions court of this count…

Before the issuance of any original process in a civil action, the plaintiff shall deposit with the clerk a sum that the clerk has previously established as adequate to pay the usual costs, including litigation taxes as calculated in accordance with § 8-21-401, and any local liti…

An appeal bond returned with other papers to the circuit court is a conclusive presumption that an appeal was taken.