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The Government of Tennessee is organized under the provisions of the 1870 Constitution of Tennessee, first adopted in 1796.[1] As set forth by the state constitution, administrative influence in Tennessee is divided among three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial.

The seat of the government in Tennessee is located in its capital city of Nashville.

The Flag of Tennessee

Executive branch

Governor

The Governor of Tennessee is the Supreme Executive Power set by the state Constitution. The Governor (currently Governor Bill Lee[2]) is responsible for enforcing state laws and the state constitution and is also known as the keeper of the Great Seal of the State of Tennessee.

Lieutenant governor

The Tennessee Lieutenant Governor is the presiding officer of the Tennessee Senate and first in line in the succession to the office of governor of Tennessee. If the governor is incapacitated or dies in office, then the lieutenant governor becomes the governor. The lieutenant governor is a state senator elected by the entire Senate to be the Speaker of the Senate.

Cabinet Members

The Tennessee Governor's Cabinet is an advisory body that oversees the executive branch of the Tennessee state government. Members, titled "commissioners," are appointed by the governor—not subject to the approval of the Tennessee General Assembly—and oversee the various government departments and agencies. Additionally, several members of the governor's staff serve in the cabinet. Governor-elects can, and often do, rearrange the departments, and thus the number of commissioners.

Under the incumbent Governor Bill Lee, there are 29 members of the Cabinet: 22 commissioners, 1 director, and 6 members of the Governor's staff.[3]

Legislative branch

Tennessee General Assembly

Flag of the General Assembly of Tennessee

The state legislature is known as the Tennessee General Assembly. It consists of a 33 member Senate, and a 99 member House of Representatives. Senators serve four-year terms, and house members serve two-year terms. Each chamber elects its own speaker from among its members. The General Assembly is a part-time legislature, typically meeting from January through April or May each year.[4]

The current Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the Senate is Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge). He was elected on January 10, 2017, and is the second consecutive Republican to hold the office.

The current Speaker of the House is Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville)

Constitutional Officers

Tennessee's three constitutional officers are elected by a joint session of the legislature. The Comptroller of the Treasury and State Treasurer are elected for two-year terms, and the Secretary of State is elected for a four-year term.

Tennessee Constitutional Officers
Constitutional Office Incumbent In office since Website
Comptroller of the Treasury Jason E. Mumpower 2021 [5]
Secretary of State Tre Hargett 2009 [6]
State Treasurer David Lillard 2009 [7]

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Source:[8]

The Supreme Court of Tennessee is the state's highest court in the state. The Supreme Court is composed of five members: a chief justice, and four justices. The incumbent Chief Justice is Holly M. Kirby.[9] No more than two justices can be from the same Grand Division.

Justice Born Joined Chief Justice Term ends[a] Grand Division
represented
Appointed by Law school
Jeffrey S. Bivins (1960-08-31) August 31, 1960 (age 63) July 16, 2014 2016–2021 2030 Middle Bill Haslam (R) Vanderbilt
Holly M. Kirby, Chief Justice (1957-07-09) July 9, 1957 (age 66) September 1, 2014 2023–present 2030 West Bill Haslam (R) Memphis
Roger A. Page (1955-10-07) October 7, 1955 (age 68) February 22, 2016 2021–2023 2030 West Bill Haslam (R) Memphis
Sarah K. Campbell 1982 (age 41–42) February 10, 2022 2030 Middle Bill Lee (R) Duke
Dwight E. Tarwater (1955-04-28) April 28, 1955 (age 68) September 1, 2023 2024 East Bill Lee (R) Tennessee
  1. ^ Term ends Aug. 31 of the year listed.

In a unique method known as the Tennessee Plan, Supreme Court justices, like all other appellate court judges, the Governor fills any vacancies that occur, with the advice and consent of the Tennessee General Assembly, from a list of three judges compiled by a commission. At the next election in which a governor is elected, voters are asked whether they want to retain or remove the newly-confirmed justice. Retention votes are held every eight years after. If voters decide to remove a justice, the process begins again.

As required by the Tennessee Constitution, the Supreme Court regularly meets in Jackson, Knoxville, and Nashville. In addition to the regular meetings of the Supreme Court, the Court takes their oral arguments on the road as part of the SCALES program (Supreme Court Advancing Legal Education for Students) a few times each year.

Attorney General

The Tennessee Attorney General is the state's chief legal officer and works to represent all of the state government. The Attorney General employs around 340 people across five offices around the state.

The Tennessee Supreme Court appoints the Attorney General, a method not found in any of the other 49 states. As of 2023, the incumbent Attorney General is Jonathan Skrmetti.

Intermediate Appellate Courts

The intermediate appellate courts of Tennessee include the court of appeals and the court of criminal appeals. The court of appeals hears cases appealed from probate, chancery, and circuit courts, whereas the court of criminal appeals hears cases appealed from circuit and criminal courts.

Both the Court of Appeals and the Court of Criminal Appeals have 12 judges.

Trial Courts

Trial courts in the state of Tennessee include probate courts, chancery courts, circuit courts, and criminal courts. The circuit courts, chancery and probate courts, and criminal courts each have 31 judicial districts.

Courts of Limited Jurisdiction

The courts of limited jurisdiction include juvenile courts, general sessions courts, and municipal courts.

District Attorneys

Map of Tennessee's judicial districts

Tennessee elects district attorneys by judicial district. They are called "The Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference."

Judicial District Counties District Attorney
1st Carter, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington Steven R. Finney (R)
2nd Sullivan Barry P. Staubus (R)
3rd Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, and Hawkins Dan E. Armstrong (R)
4th Cocke, Grainger, Jefferson, and Sevier Jimmy B. Dunn (R)
5th Blount Ryan Desmond (R)
6th Knox Charme Allen (R)
7th Anderson Dave S. Clark (Ind.)
8th Campbell, Claiborne, Fentress, Scott, and Union Jared R. Effler (Ind.)
9th Loudon, Meigs, Morgan, and Roane Russell Johnson (Ind.)
10th Bradley, McMinn, Monroe, and Polk Steve Crump (R)
11th Hamilton Coty Wamp (R)
12th Bledsoe, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Rhea, and Sequatchie Courtney Lynch (R)
13th Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, and White Bryant C. Dunaway (R)
14th Coffee Craig Northcott (R)
15th Jackson, Macon, Smith, Trousdale, and Wilson Jason Lawson (R)
16th Cannon and Rutherford Jennings H. Jones (R)
17th Bedford, Lincoln, Marshall, and Moore Robert J. Carter (Ind.)
18th Sumner Ray Whitley (R)
19th Montgomery and Robertson Robert Nash (R)
20th Davidson Glenn Funk (D)
21st Williamson Kim R. Helper (R)
22nd Giles, Lawrence, Maury, and Wayne Brent A. Cooper (R)
23rd Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, and Stewart Ray Crouch, Jr. (R)
24th Benton, Carroll, Decatur, Hardin, and Henry Neil Thomson (R)
25th Fayette, Hardeman, Lauderdale, McNairy, and Tipton Mark E. Davidson (R)
26th Chester, Henderson, and Madison Jody Pickens (R)
27th Obion and Weakley Colin Johnson (Ind.)
28th Crockett, Gibson, and Haywood Frederick Agree (R)
29th Dyer and Lake Danny Goodman, Jr. (Ind.)
30th Shelby Steven J. Mulroy (D)
31st Van Buren and Warren Christopher R. Stanford (R)
32nd Hickman, Lewis, and Perry Hans L. Schwendimann (R)

Source:[10][11]

Local government

Tennessee is divided into political jurisdictions designated as counties, which derive all of their power from the state. Incorporated cities and towns are those that have been granted home rule, possessing a local government in the form of a city or town council.

National government

The United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Tennessee was the sixteenth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on June 21, 1796. Tennessee elects two United States Senators and nine members of the United States House of Representatives.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Tennessee State Constitution | Tennessee Secretary of State". sos.tn.gov. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  2. ^ "About Bill Lee". tn.gov. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  3. ^ "Cabinet". tn.gov. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  4. ^ "About the Tennessee Legislature". capitol.tn.gov. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  5. ^ "Comptroller of the Treasury – Comptroller.TN.gov". comptroller.tn.gov. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  6. ^ "Welcome to the Tennessee Secretary of State's Website | Tennessee Secretary of State". sos.tn.gov. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  7. ^ "Tennessee Department of Treasury—College Savings, Unclaimed Property, Retirement, Financial Education". treasury.tn.gov. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  8. ^ "Supreme Court | Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts". www.tncourts.gov. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  9. ^ "Justice Kirby Elected To Serve As Chief Justice Of Tennessee Supreme Court". tncourts.gov.
  10. ^ "District Directory". Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  11. ^ "2022 Tennessee District Attorney elections" (PDF). Tennessee Secretary of State.

External links