TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Apr 2, 2026

According to WBBJ 7 News, Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeffrey Bivins has issued an order assigning four judges to preside over civil and criminal cases in Madison County General Sessions Court, Division 1, for Judge Mark Patey. The judges are 26th Judicial District Circuit Court Judges Donald Allen, Kyle Atkins and Joseph Howell and Senior Judge Roy Morgan. According to the order, the assignment will run through Aug. 31 and was issued to address the “judge’s reported abdication of his duty to hold regular, prompt dockets and adjudicate cases in a timely matter.” Bivins writes in the order that the situation has caused concern about the constitutional and statutory rights of litigants and strains on local resources.