TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Aug 3, 2023

White County General Sessions Court Judge John Meadows now can hear adoption cases thanks to a private bill sponsored by Republican Rep. Paul Sherrell and Sen. Paul Bailey, both of Sparta. The legislation was approved by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Bill Lee during the last session, Sparta Alive reports. Under Tennessee law, only chancery and circuit courts have jurisdiction, power and authority to hear and decide adoption cases. The change was enacted to expedite adoption proceedings in the county, where residents often had to wait to be scheduled on a crowded docket and then travel to Cookeville for court appearances. According to the Department of Children’s Services, the change will “accelerate child placement, namely allowing for a judicial waiver to speed adoption finalization from six to three months if a court sees fit.”