Benton County General Sessions Court, Tennessee
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The Benton County General Sessions Court resides in Tennessee. Click on the links below to learn more about the court's...
Jurisdiction
This court holds the following jurisdiction:[1]
| “ | General Sessions Court jurisdiction varies from county to county based on state laws and private acts. Every county is served by this court of limited jurisdiction, which hears both civil and criminal cases.
Civil jurisdiction is restricted to specific monetary limits and types of actions. Criminal jurisdiction is limited to preliminary hearings in felony cases and misdemeanor trials in which a defendant waives the right to a grand jury investigation and trial by jury in Circuit or Criminal Court. General Sessions judges also serve as juvenile judges except in counties in which the legislature has established separate Juvenile Courts. General Sessions judges are elected to 8-year terms.[2] |
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Selection method
- See also: Judicial selection in the states
- See also: Nonpartisan election of judges
Judges of the general sessions court are elected in nonpartisan elections to eight-year terms. Individual towns or cities may establish varying ordinances for the election of their municipal judges—e.g., ordinances that allow for some positions to be elected by popular vote and some to be selected by other methods.[3][4][5][6]
Qualifications
To serve on the court, a judge must be:[7]
- authorized to practice law in state;
- a district resident for at least one year;
- a state resident five years; and
- at least 30 years old.
Judicial elections in Tennessee
- See also: Tennessee judicial elections
Tennessee is one of eight states that use partisan elections to initially select judges and then use retention elections to determine whether judges should remain on the bench. To read more about how states use judicial elections to select judges across the country, click here.
Primary election
Primary elections may be held for trial court judges. The political parties in each county determine whether or not there will be a primary election in their respective counties.
County primary elections
Counties that are having a primary election will have them on a Tuesday in May. The candidate who wins the county primary election in May will then move on to the county general election in August and run against other party candidates that won their respective primaries.[8]
Primary elections in Tennessee serve to designate a party's nomination and narrow the field down to one candidate from that party for a specific office. A candidate who wins their primary nomination will move on to the general election.[8] It is not uncommon for a candidate to run unopposed in their party primary and then go on to run unopposed in the general election as well. Similarly, candidates may win their primary and go on to run unopposed in the general election.
Voters do not need to declare their party affiliation when they register to vote. However, primary voters must declare whether or not they will be voting in the Democratic or Republican primary.[8]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Tennessee State Courts, "About General Sessions Courts," accessed May 22, 2023
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Tennessee; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived September 11, 2014
- ↑ Justia - Tennessee Code, "37-1-207 - Special juvenile courts Judges," accessed July 22, 2015
- ↑ Justia - Tennessee Code, "16-18-203 - Term of office," accessed July 22, 2015
- ↑ Justia - Tennessee Code, "16-15-202 - Election Term," accessed November 20, 2014
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Tennessee," archived September 11, 2014
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Hamilton County, Tennessee Election Commission: Differences Between Primary Elections & General Elections, accessed May 4, 2014
Federal courts:
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee
State courts:
Tennessee Supreme Court • Tennessee Court of Appeals • Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals • Tennessee Circuit Court • Tennessee Chancery Courts • Tennessee Criminal Court • Tennessee Probate Court • Tennessee General Sessions Court • Tennessee Juvenile Court • Tennessee Municipal Court
State resources:
Courts in Tennessee • Tennessee judicial elections • Judicial selection in Tennessee
