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Judges appointed by Bill Haslam
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This page lists judges appointed by Bill Haslam (R) during his term as Governor of Tennessee. As of today, the total number of Haslam appointees was 29. For the full profile of Haslam, click here.
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population. Some Tennessee judges are outside of that coverage scope. As a result, this page does not provide an exhaustive list of all judges appointed by Gov. Haslam.
Appointment process
In Tennessee, the governor makes a judicial appointment after candidates are recommended by a judicial nominating commission. After the governor appoints a judge, she or he must run for retention in the next general election.[1]
Appointed judges
The tables below list the governor's appointees to the courts across the state.
State Courts
Supreme Court
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Tennessee Supreme Court Middle Section |
July 15, 2014 - Present |
|
|
Tennessee Supreme Court Western Section |
February 22, 2016 - August 31, 2024 |
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|
Tennessee Supreme Court Western Section |
September 1, 2014 - Present |
Court of Appeals
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Tennessee Court of Appeals Eastern Section |
February 14, 2013 - Present |
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|
Tennessee Court of Appeals Middle Section |
May 29, 2014 - Present |
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|
Tennessee Court of Appeals Western Section |
September 1, 2014 - 2019 |
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|
Tennessee Court of Appeals Western Section |
September 1, 2014 - January 4, 2025 |
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|
Tennessee Court of Appeals Western Section |
September 1, 2014 - Present |
|
|
Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Eastern Section |
September 1, 2014 - Present |
|
|
Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Middle Section |
August 21, 2014 - Present |
|
|
Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Middle Section |
September 1, 2014 - Present |
|
|
Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Western Section |
April 18, 2016 - Present |
Local Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
11th Judicial District Criminal Court |
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|
16th Judicial District Circuit Court |
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19th Judicial District Circuit Court |
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21st Judicial District Chancery Court |
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22nd Judicial District Circuit Court |
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22nd Judicial District Circuit Court |
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24th Judicial District Chancery Court |
2014 - 2019 |
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30th Judicial District Circuit Court Division VII |
2016 - August 31, 2024 |
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|
30th Judicial District Criminal Court Division VI |
||
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30th Judicial District Criminal Court Division X |
2018 - 2018 |
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|
3rd Judicial District Circuit Court |
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Hamilton County General Sessions Court |
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|
Polk County General Sessions Court |
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Shelby County Probate Court Division I |
2013 - Present |
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|
Tennessee 20th Judicial District Chancery Court Part I |
March 28, 2019 - Present |
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Tennessee 20th Judicial District Criminal Court Division II |
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|
Tennessee 20th Judicial District Criminal Court Division IV |
2018 - Present |
Judicial selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Tennessee
| Judicial selection in Tennessee | |
 | |
| Tennessee Supreme Court | |
| Method: | Assisted appointment |
| Term: | 8 years |
| Tennessee Court of Appeals | |
| Method: | Assisted appointment |
| Term: | 8 years |
| Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals | |
| Method: | Assisted appointment |
| Term: | 8 years |
| Tennessee Chancery Courts | |
| Method: | Partisan election and Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 8 years |
| Tennessee Criminal Court | |
| Method: | Partisan election and Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 8 years |
| Tennessee Circuit Court | |
| Method: | Partisan election and Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 8 years |
Judicial selection refers to the process used to select judges for courts. At the state level, methods of judicial selection vary substantially in the United States, and in some cases between different court types within a state. There are six primary types of judicial selection: partisan and nonpartisan elections, the Michigan method, assisted appointment, gubernatorial appointment, and legislative elections. To read more about how these selection methods are used across the country, click here.
This article covers how state court judges are selected in Tennessee, including:
- Tennessee Supreme Court,
- Tennessee Court of Appeals,
- Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals,
- Tennessee Circuit Court
- Tennessee Criminal Court
- Tennessee Chancery Courts
- Tennessee Probate Court, and
- Limited jurisdiction courts
As of April 2025, judges and justices for all three appellate courts were appointed by the governor with help from a judicial nominating commission, approved by the legislature, and faced retention elections at the end of their terms. Trial Court judges were nominated by a mix of partisan elections and nonpartisan elections.
Click here to notify us of changes to judicial selection methods in this state.
| Appellate state court selection in the United States, by general selection method[2] |
|---|
|
|
| State courts and their selection methods across the U.S., including the District of Columbia[2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Supreme Court (of 53)[3] | Courts of Appeal (of 46) | Trial Courts (of 147) |
| Partisan elections (PE) | 8 | 6 | 39 |
| Nonpartisan elections (NPE) | 13 | 16 | 34 |
| Legislative elections (LE) | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Gubernatorial appointment of judges (GA) | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Assisted appointment (AA) | 22 | 18 | 46 |
| Combination or other | 3[4] | 1[5] | 17[6] |
State profile
| Demographic data for Tennessee | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 6,595,056 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 41,235 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 77.8% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 16.8% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.6% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 4.9% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 85.5% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 24.9% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $45,219 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 21.4% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Tennessee. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Tennessee
Tennessee voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Tennessee, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[7]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Tennessee had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More Tennessee coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Tennessee
- United States congressional delegations from Tennessee
- Public policy in Tennessee
- Endorsers in Tennessee
- Tennessee fact checks
- More...
See also
- Judges appointed by Phil Bredesen
- Judges appointed by Bill Lee
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Tennessee," archived September 11, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection," archived February 2, 2015
- ↑ Both Oklahoma and Texas have two state supreme courts: one for civil matters and one for criminal matters.
- ↑ Michigan and Ohio use nonpartisan general elections with candidates selected through partisan primaries or conventions. In the District of Columbia, judges are selected in the same manner as federal judges.
- ↑ Judges of the North Dakota Court of Appeals are appointed on an as-needed basis by the supreme court justices.
- ↑ Most courts that use combination/alternative methods (for example, mayoral appointment) are local level courts. These courts are often governed by selection guidelines that are unique to their specific region.
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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
