Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals

The Court of Criminal Appeals is one of Tennessee's two intermediate appellate courts. It hears trial court appeals in felony and misdemeanor cases, as well as post-conviction petitions. Appeals in civil cases are heard by the Tennessee Court of Appeals.

The Court of Criminal Appeals was established by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1967. At that time, the court had nine members. Its membership was increased from nine to twelve on September 1, 1996, as a result of action by the General Assembly.

Proceedings

The court's judges sit monthly in panels of three in Jackson, Knoxville and Nashville. The court may meet in other locations as necessary. As an appellate court, there are no juries and the court does not hear testimony from witnesses. Rather, attorneys present oral and written arguments for the court's consideration.

Decisions of the Court of Criminal Appeals decisions may be appealed to the Tennessee Supreme Court by permission. All decisions in capital cases are, however, appealed automatically.

Judges

The judges are elected to eight-year terms. If a vacancy occurs during a judge's term, the governor appoints a new judge to serve until the next August of an even-numbered year, when a state general election is held. The names of incumbent judges up for reelection, including judges appointed to fill vacancies, are listed on the ballot without opposition. They are retained or rejected based on a "yes-no" vote. (See Tennessee Plan.)

The twelve judges sitting on the Court as of February 2014 are:^[1]

• Jeffrey S. Bivins – Middle Division
• Alan E. Glenn – Western Division
• Camille R. McMullen – Western Division
• Norma McGee Ogle – Eastern Division
• Roger A. Page - Western Division
• Jerry L. Smith – Middle Division
• D. Kelly Thomas – Eastern Division
• Joseph M. Tipton – Eastern Division
• Robert W. Wedemeyer – Middle Division
• John Everett Williams – Western Division
• James Curwood Witt – Eastern Division
• Thomas T. Woodall – Middle Division

References

• Intermediate Appellate Courts in the Tennessee Blue Book

State Intermediate Appellate Courts
Alabama: Civil / Criminal Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Nebraska New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania: Superior Court / Commonwealth Court South Carolina Tennessee: Civil / Criminal Texas Utah Virginia Washington Wisconsin
Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming do not have intermediate appellate courts.