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Home » US Law » 2021 Tennessee Code » Title 16 - Courts » Chapter 3 - Supreme Court » Part 1 - Membership » § 16-3-101. Composition — Election of Judges — Qualifications — Concurrence Necessary for Decisions
  1. The supreme court shall consist of five (5) judges, one (1) of whom shall reside in each grand division, and no more than two (2) in the same grand division.
  2. A judge must have been a resident of the grand division from which the judge is appointed for at least one (1) year immediately preceding appointment. For purposes of this subsection (b), “resident” has the same meaning as defined in § 2-1-104.
  3. Each judge shall be at least thirty-five (35) years of age at the time of appointment, shall have been a resident of the state for at least five (5) consecutive years immediately preceding appointment, and shall be licensed to practice law in this state. For purposes of this subsection (c), “resident” has the same meaning as defined in § 2-1-104.
  4. A judge’s term of office shall be eight (8) years.
  5. The concurrence of three (3) of the judges is necessary to a decision in every case.

Code 1858, § 4495 (deriv. Acts 1835-1836, ch. 3, § 1); Acts 1870, ch. 24, §§ 1, 6, 9, 10 (as mod. by Const., art. 6, §§ 2, 3); Shan., §§ 375, 6328; Code 1932, §§ 632, 10630; modified; Acts 1974, ch. 708, § 1; T.C.A., §§ 2-308, 2-3-202; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 16-301; Acts 2016, ch. 528, §§ 2, 3.