TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jan 15, 2021

The Tennessee Supreme Court today issued an order extending the judicial state of emergency and suspension of jury trials and in-person court proceedings through March 31. The court said the move was being taken “in light of the continued record number of COVID-19 cases and related hospitalizations and deaths in Tennessee and the governor’s issuance of Executive Order 73." Exceptions to the suspension of jury trials may be granted by the chief justice on a case-by-case basis. Suspension of in-person proceedings is subject to exceptions enumerated in the paragraph 3 of the court’s Dec. 22, 2020, order. Today’s order applies to all state and local courts, including municipal, juvenile, general sessions, trial and appellate courts, as well as court clerk offices. It does not apply to administrative courts within the executive branch or federal courts in the state.