The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments is now accepting applications for two imminent vacancies on the Eastern Section of the Court of Criminal Appeals after the Honorable Norma McGee Ogle and the Honorable D. Kelly Thomas, Jr. elected not to file declarations of candidacy for retention in the August 2022 election.
Any interested applicant must be a licensed attorney who is at least 30 years of age, a resident of the state for five years, and a resident of the Eastern Section. Applicants must complete the designated application and submit it to the Administrative Office of the Courts by 12 p.m. CST on Feb. 8. The application is available on the judicial resources page of tncourts.gov, located here: http://tncourts.gov/administration/judicial-resources
Pursuant to State of Tennessee Executive Orders No. 87 (Sept. 17, 2021) and No. 95 (Jan. 24), the Council will hold a single virtual hearing for both vacancies via Zoom on March 3 and March 4. The hearing will be livestreamed for public viewing to: www.youtube.com/user/TNCourts
Interested individuals may attend the livestream in the Eastern Section at the Tennessee Supreme Court Building in Knoxville at 500 Main St., Knoxville, TN 37902 to watch and/or speak in opposition to any applicant. Visitors who want to attend the live stream hearing at the Knoxville Supreme Court Building must check-in with security for admission to the building.
Interested individuals who want to attend the hearing remotely via Zoom to verbally address the Commission to express their opposition concerning an applicant must contact Ceesha Lofton at the Administrative Office of the Courts either by email at ceesha.lofton@tncourts.gov or by calling (615) 741-2687 by 4 p.m. CST on Tuesday, Feb. 22, so that the necessary electronic accommodations can be made for participation in the livestream.
If you require an accommodation or have special needs because of a disability, or if you have questions or need additional information, please contact Ceesha Lofton or Rachel Harmon at (615) 741-2687.