TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Apr 23, 2026

The Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen unanimously approved a recommendation Tuesday to name the courthouse at the Kingsport/Sullivan County Justice Center in honor of the late Judge John S. McLellan III, who died Feb. 11 at the age of 80. A graduate of the University of Tennessee (now Winston) College of Law, McLellan practiced for 24 years as a general practitioner and served as the Sullivan County attorney, city attorney for Mt. Carmel and judge of the Kingsport City Juvenile Court. In 1994, Gov. Ned Ray McWherter appointed him to the 2nd Judicial District Circuit Court, where he served for 30 years. McLellan served as director of the Tennessee Trial Judges Association from 1996-1997 and joined the Court of the Judiciary in 1999. In 2004, his fellow judges elected him president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference. The TimesNews reports that the $14.4 million justice center expansion is expected to modernize court and police facilities and improve safety and accessibility for staff and the public.