Title 16, Courts

The court may appoint receivers, order references and issue all writs and process necessary for the exercise and enforcement of its jurisdiction.

The court may recommit offenders in state cases, when it may appear necessary, and remand them to the inferior court from which their cases were brought to the supreme court, taking recognizances from the defendants, when the offense charged is bailable, with the security that th…

(a) The court may give judgment upon any and all bonds or recognizances, whether in civil or criminal cases, executed in the progress of the cause, under the general provisions of law, or by lawful order of the court, either in the inferior or supreme court, and enforce the same …

The judges of the supreme court, or any one of them, on a proper case being made out, shall have the authority to grant the process of supersedeas to an execution, returnable to their own court, in the same manner the supreme court, while it is in session, can grant such process,…

In all cases in which the supreme court may give judgment or decree through inadvertence and oversight, when upon the face of the record no cause of action existed against the party, the court may, upon its own motion, vacate the judgment or decree.

The court may, at any time after final judgment, correct mistakes apparent on the face of the record, as provided in [former] § 20-11-106 [repealed].

All appeals, and appeals in the nature of a writ of error, taken from the final judgment or decree of an inferior court, at any time before the sitting of the supreme court, shall stand for hearing at the first term, without notice to the opposite party.

An appeal, appeal in the nature of a writ of error, or writ of error may be prosecuted from any final judgment or decree, rendered in an inferior court during the term of the supreme court, the record being filed in the court, and the opposite party, or the opposite party's couns…

The court may class the judicial districts to set the causes from each district for trial on certain weeks of the term, and make publication of the classes before the beginning of the term.

The supreme court, except as otherwise provided, shall take up and try the cases from the different counties in a judicial district in the order in which the counties are named in the section of chapter 2 of this title that prescribes the times of holding court in the judicial di…

The supreme court is authorized to employ, reassign or contract with individuals utilizing special funds appropriated solely for the purpose of providing prompt and fair adjudication of post-conviction proceedings in capital sentence cases, including authority to assign the addit…

It is the duty of the judges of the supreme court to hold its terms at the different places as designated by law, until all the causes are determined or otherwise disposed of, or until it becomes necessary to adjourn to hold court at another point.

The court may sit upon its own adjournment, and hold its term at any time, for the purpose of hearing and deciding unfinished business.

(a) Any judge in attendance at any time may adjourn court, in the absence of the other judges, from day to day, until they are able to attend. (b) The clerk or sheriff may also adjourn the court from day to day, for one (1) week at the first of the term, if no judge attends.

(a) The clerk, at the expiration of the week specified in § 16-3-303, or the single judge in attendance in the case mentioned in § 16-3-303(a), if satisfied that a quorum cannot be had, may adjourn to the court in course. (b) Adjournment works no discontinuance in any case, but t…

The court has the power, by an order signed by three (3) of its members and forwarded to the clerk at any of the places where its sessions are required to be held, to open any term of the court at such place, without the attendance of the judges of the court, and likewise an orde…

Every term of the court when opened shall remain open until an order of adjournment is entered, and it shall be lawful for the terms of court in all the grand divisions to be open and running concurrently.

The court is empowered to make all necessary rules to carry out the purposes of §§ 16-2-104, 16-3-305, and 16-3-306, and to expedite the hearing of cases.

The judges of the supreme court have the power to appoint and hold a special term, upon giving twenty (20) days' notice of the time in some newspaper in the division in which the court is held, for the trial of causes that they deem essential to the public interest.

The supreme court may make rules of practice for the better disposal of business before it.

The supreme court has the power to prescribe by general rules the forms of process, writs, pleadings and motions, and the practice and procedure in all of the courts of this state in all civil and criminal suits, actions and proceedings.

The rules prescribed by the supreme court pursuant to § 16-3-402 shall not abridge, enlarge or modify any substantive right, and shall be consistent with the constitutions of the United States and Tennessee.

The supreme court shall fix the effective date of all its rules; provided, that the rules shall not take effect until they have been reported to the general assembly by the chief justice at or after the beginning of a regular session of the general assembly, but not later than Fe…

All rules adopted by the supreme court shall be published in the Tennessee Code Annotated and may be publicized both before and after becoming effective in a manner that the supreme court deems appropriate.

After the rules have become effective, all laws in conflict with the rules shall be of no further force or effect.

Each of the other courts of this state may adopt additional or supplementary rules of practice and procedure not inconsistent with or in conflict with the rules prescribed by the supreme court.

(1) The supreme court is urged to develop court rules and procedures to control the process of courts using electronic transmissions of documents. The court rules and procedures should provide for the following:(1) The type of document that may be electronically transmitted;(2) T…

In order to ensure the harmonious, efficient and uniform operation of the judicial system of the state, the supreme court is granted and clothed with general supervisory control over all the inferior courts of the state.

(1) In addition to other constitutional, statutory and inherent power, but not restrictive thereof, the supreme court may:(1) Designate the administrative director of the courts as the chief administrative officer of the courts of the state;(2) Direct the administrative director …

The general assembly declares that this part is declaratory of the common law as it existed at the time of the adoption of the constitution of Tennessee and of the power inherent in a court of last resort.

This part shall constitute a broad conference of full, plenary and discretionary power upon the supreme court.

(a) There shall be an advisory commission whose members shall be appointed by the supreme court and whose duty shall be to advise the supreme court from time to time respecting the rules of practice and procedure. (b) Each member shall serve for a term of three (3) years and memb…

There is created a commission composed of the chief justice of the supreme court, who shall serve as chair, the presiding judge of the court of appeals or the presiding judge's designee, the presiding judge of the court of criminal appeals or presiding judge's designee, the admin…

There is created a commission composed of the chief justice of the supreme court, who shall serve as chair, the presiding judge of the court of appeals or the presiding judge's designee, the presiding judge of the court of criminal appeals or the presiding judge's designee, the a…

There is created a commission composed of the chief justice of the supreme court, who shall serve as chair, the presiding judge of the court of appeals or the presiding judge's designee, the presiding judge of the court of criminal appeals or the presiding judge's designee, the a…

There is created the administrative office of the courts. The purpose of this office is to assist in improving the administration of justice in the state by performing the duties and exercising the powers conferred in this part.

(a) The supreme court shall appoint the administrative director of the courts, who shall serve as the director of the administrative office of the courts. The administrative director shall serve at the pleasure of the supreme court. (b) The supreme court shall fix the salary of t…

(a) The administrative director of the courts shall work under the supervision and direction of the chief justice and shall, as the chief administrative officer of the state court system, assist the chief justice in the administration of the state court system to the end that lit…

(a) The administrative director of the courts shall, subject to the approval of the supreme court, appoint and fix the compensation of assistants, clerical staff, or other employees that are necessary to enable the administrative director to perform the duties of the administrati…

The administrative director of the courts shall be provided with suitable office space and with all office equipment and supplies necessary to perform the duties and functions of the office.

All funds appropriated solely to employ, contract with or reassign personnel for the purpose of providing prompt and fair adjudication of post-conviction proceedings in capital sentence cases shall be appropriated to the administrative director of the courts to be allocated to, a…

(a) The state treasurer is authorized and directed to establish within the general fund the Tennessee judicial information system fund, as a restricted revolving account in the state treasury. (b) The source of funding for this account shall be judicial branch appropriations made…

(a) The state treasurer is authorized and directed to establish within the general fund a fund known as the civil legal representation of indigents fund. (b) The source of funding for this fund shall be the revenue derived from the litigation tax levied pursuant to § 67-4-602(g).…

(a) The administrative office of the courts shall have control and supervision of the existing state law libraries at Nashville, Knoxville, and Jackson. The office's powers include, but are not limited to, the following:(1) The power to employ necessary personnel, either full or …

The administrative office of the courts, in consultation with the Tennessee bureau of investigation and the Tennessee court clerks association, shall devise a standard form, or revise the existing uniform judgment document promulgated pursuant to Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 17, for use by …

(a) The administrative office of the courts (AOC) shall be responsible for making available to the Tennessee bureau of investigation in a mutually agreeable form all information the AOC receives from the various courts regarding disposition of cases. (b) The AOC shall be responsi…