Government of Tennessee
Government of Tennessee | |
|---|---|
| Part of | United States of America |
| Constitution | Constitution of Tennessee |
| Legislative branch | |
| Name | General Assembly |
| Type | Bicameral |
| Meeting place | Tennessee State Capitol |
| Upper house | |
| Name | Senate |
| Presiding officer | Randy McNally, Honorable |
| Lower house | |
| Name | House of Representatives |
| Presiding officer | Cameron Sexton, Speaker |
| Executive branch | |
| Head of state and government | |
| Title | Governor |
| Currently | Bill Lee |
| Appointer | Election |
| Cabinet | |
| Name | Cabinet of the State of Tennessee |
| Leader | Governor |
| Headquarters | Tennessee State Capitol |
| Judicial branch | |
| Name | Judiciary of Tennessee |
| Courts | Courts of Tennessee |
| Tennessee Supreme Court | |
| Chief judge | Holly M. Kirby |
| Seat | Nashville, Knoxville, and Jackson |
The Government of Tennessee is organized under the provisions of the 1870 Constitution of Tennessee, first adopted in 1796.[1] As set forth by the state constitution, administrative influence in Tennessee is divided among three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial.
The seat of the government in Tennessee is located in its capital city of Nashville.
Executive branch
[edit ]Governor
[edit ]The Governor of Tennessee is the Supreme Executive Power set by the state Constitution. The Governor (currently Governor Bill Lee [2] ) is responsible for enforcing state laws and the state constitution and is also known as the keeper of the Great Seal of the State of Tennessee.
Lieutenant governor
[edit ]The Tennessee Lieutenant Governor is the presiding officer of the Tennessee Senate and first in line in the succession to the office of governor of Tennessee. If the governor is incapacitated or dies in office, then the lieutenant governor becomes the governor. The lieutenant governor is a state senator elected by the entire Senate to be the Speaker of the Senate.
Cabinet Members
[edit ]The Tennessee Governor's Cabinet is an advisory body that oversees the executive branch of the Tennessee state government. Members, titled "commissioners," are appointed by the governor—not subject to the approval of the Tennessee General Assembly—and oversee the various government departments and agencies. Additionally, several members of the governor's staff serve in the cabinet. Governor-elects can, and often do, rearrange the departments, and thus the number of commissioners.
Under the incumbent Governor Bill Lee, there are 29 members of the Cabinet: 22 commissioners, 1 director, and 6 members of the Governor's staff.[3]
_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}
Legislative branch
[edit ]Tennessee General Assembly
[edit ]
The state legislature is known as the Tennessee General Assembly. It consists of a 33 member Senate, and a 99 member House of Representatives. Senators serve four-year terms, and house members serve two-year terms. Each chamber elects its own speaker from among its members. The General Assembly is a part-time legislature, typically meeting from January through April or May each year.[4]
The current Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the Senate is Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge). He was elected on January 10, 2017, and is the second consecutive Republican to hold the office.
The current Speaker of the House is Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville)
Constitutional Officers
[edit ]Tennessee's three constitutional officers are elected by a joint session of the legislature. The Comptroller of the Treasury and State Treasurer are elected for two-year terms, and the Secretary of State is elected for a four-year term.
| Constitutional Office | Incumbent | In office since | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comptroller of the Treasury | Jason E. Mumpower | 2021 | [5] |
| Secretary of State | Tre Hargett | 2009 | [6] |
| State Treasurer | David Lillard | 2009 | [7] |
Judicial branch
[edit ]Supreme Court
[edit ]Source:[8]
The Supreme Court of Tennessee is the state's highest court in the state. The Supreme Court is composed of five members: a chief justice, and four justices. The incumbent Chief Justice is Holly M. Kirby.[9] No more than two justices can be from the same Grand Division.
As of September 1, 2024[update] , the justices of the Tennessee Supreme Court are:
| Justice | Born | Joined | Chief Justice | Term ends[a] | Grand Division represented |
Appointed by | Law school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holly M. Kirby , Chief Justice | (1957年07月09日) July 9, 1957 (age 67) | September 1, 2014 | 2023–present | 2030 | West | Bill Haslam (R) | Memphis |
| Jeffrey S. Bivins | (1960年08月31日) August 31, 1960 (age 64) | July 16, 2014 | 2016–2021 | 2030 | Middle | Bill Haslam (R) | Vanderbilt |
| Sarah K. Campbell | 1982 (age 42–43) | February 10, 2022 | – | 2030 | Middle | Bill Lee (R) | Duke |
| Dwight E. Tarwater | (1955年04月28日) April 28, 1955 (age 70) | September 1, 2023 | – | 2024 | East | Bill Lee (R) | Tennessee |
| Mary L. Wagner | 1984 or 1985 (age 40–41) | September 1, 2024 | – | 2026 | West | Bill Lee (R) | Memphis |
- ^ Term ends Aug. 31 of the year listed.
In a unique method known as the Tennessee Plan, Supreme Court justices, like all other appellate court judges, the Governor fills any vacancies that occur, with the advice and consent of the Tennessee General Assembly, from a list of three judges compiled by a commission. At the next election in which a governor is elected, voters are asked whether they want to retain or remove the newly-confirmed justice. Retention votes are held every eight years after. If voters decide to remove a justice, the process begins again.
As required by the Tennessee Constitution, the Supreme Court regularly meets in Jackson, Knoxville, and Nashville. In addition to the regular meetings of the Supreme Court, the Court takes their oral arguments on the road as part of the SCALES program (Supreme Court Advancing Legal Education for Students) a few times each year.
Attorney General
[edit ]The Tennessee Attorney General is the state's chief legal officer and works to represent all of the state government. The Attorney General employs around 340 people across five offices around the state.
The Tennessee Supreme Court appoints the Attorney General, a method not found in any of the other 49 states. As of 2023,[update] the incumbent Attorney General is Jonathan Skrmetti.
Intermediate Appellate Courts
[edit ]The intermediate appellate courts of Tennessee include the court of appeals and the court of criminal appeals. The court of appeals hears cases appealed from probate, chancery, and circuit courts, whereas the court of criminal appeals hears cases appealed from circuit and criminal courts.
Both the Court of Appeals and the Court of Criminal Appeals have 12 judges.
Trial Courts
[edit ]Trial courts in the state of Tennessee include probate courts, chancery courts, circuit courts, and criminal courts. The circuit courts, chancery and probate courts, and criminal courts each have 31 judicial districts.
Courts of Limited Jurisdiction
[edit ]The courts of limited jurisdiction include juvenile courts, general sessions courts, and municipal courts.
District Attorneys
[edit ]
Republican Democrat Independent
Tennessee elects district attorneys by judicial district. They are called "The Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference."
| Judicial District | Counties | District Attorney |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Carter, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington | Steven R. Finney (R) |
| 2nd | Sullivan | Barry P. Staubus (R) |
| 3rd | Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, and Hawkins | Dan E. Armstrong (R) |
| 4th | Cocke, Grainger, Jefferson, and Sevier | Jimmy B. Dunn (R) |
| 5th | Blount | Ryan Desmond (R) |
| 6th | Knox | Charme Allen (R) |
| 7th | Anderson | Dave S. Clark (Ind.) |
| 8th | Campbell, Claiborne, Fentress, Scott, and Union | Jared R. Effler (Ind.) |
| 9th | Loudon, Meigs, Morgan, and Roane | Russell Johnson (Ind.) |
| 10th | Bradley, McMinn, Monroe, and Polk | Stephen Hatchett (R) |
| 11th | Hamilton | Coty Wamp (R) |
| 12th | Bledsoe, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Rhea, and Sequatchie | Courtney Lynch (R) |
| 13th | Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, and White | Bryant C. Dunaway (R) |
| 14th | Coffee | Craig Northcott (R) |
| 15th | Jackson, Macon, Smith, Trousdale, and Wilson | Jason Lawson (R) |
| 16th | Cannon and Rutherford | Jennings H. Jones (R) |
| 17th | Bedford, Lincoln, Marshall, and Moore | Robert J. Carter (Ind.) |
| 18th | Sumner | Ray Whitley (R) |
| 19th | Montgomery and Robertson | Robert Nash (R) |
| 20th | Davidson | Glenn Funk (D) |
| 21st | Hickman, Lewis, and Perry | Stacey B. Edmonson (R) |
| 22nd | Giles, Lawrence, Maury, and Wayne | Brent A. Cooper (R) |
| 23rd | Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, and Stewart | Ray Crouch, Jr. (R) |
| 24th | Benton, Carroll, Decatur, Hardin, and Henry | Neil Thomson (R) |
| 25th | Fayette, Hardeman, Lauderdale, McNairy, and Tipton | Mark E. Davidson (R) |
| 26th | Chester, Henderson, and Madison | Jody Pickens (R) |
| 27th | Obion and Weakley | Colin Johnson (Ind.) |
| 28th | Crockett, Gibson, and Haywood | Frederick Agree (R) |
| 29th | Dyer and Lake | Danny Goodman, Jr. (Ind.) |
| 30th | Shelby | Steven J. Mulroy (D) |
| 31st | Van Buren and Warren | Christopher R. Stanford (R) |
| 32nd | Williamson | Hans L. Schwendimann (R) |
Local government
[edit ]Tennessee is divided into political jurisdictions designated as counties, which derive all of their power from the state. Incorporated cities and towns are those that have been granted home rule, possessing a local government in the form of a city or town council.
County Mayors
[edit ]All 95 counties of Tennessee | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||
As of 2025 Republican Independent Democratic Republican affiliated Democratic affiliated | ||||||||||||||
In Tennessee, the county mayor — sometimes referred to as the county executive in certain areas — serves as the chief executive officer of the county government. The county mayor is responsible for overseeing the administration of county departments, managing the county budget, and representing the county in official matters. County mayors are elected to four-year terms, with elections typically held during the August general elections.[12] The structure of these elections varies by county; some counties conduct nonpartisan elections, in which candidates do not run with formal party affiliations, while others hold partisan elections, allowing candidates to be nominated and run under political parties.[13]
National government
[edit ]
Tennessee was the sixteenth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on June 21, 1796. Tennessee elects two United States Senators and nine members of the United States House of Representatives.
See also
[edit ]- Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville
- History of Tennessee
- Constitution of Tennessee
- State governments of the United States
- Political party strength in Tennessee
- Elections in Tennessee
Notes
[edit ]- ^ This count includes mayors elected in partisan elections, while categorizing those elected in nonpartisan elections and those who ran as Independents as Independents.
- ^ This count includes mayors elected in partisan elections, as well as mayors who ran in nonpartisan elections but are affiliated with a political party, and those who ran as Independents but have either been affiliated with a party, endorsed a party, or received endorsements from party officials for their election.
- ^ In some counties, mayors may be affiliated with a political party but were elected in nonpartisan races or ran as Independents. For the purposes of the first map, these officials are classified as Independents.
References
[edit ]- ^ "Tennessee State Constitution | Tennessee Secretary of State". sos.tn.gov. Retrieved 2019年04月02日.
- ^ "About Bill Lee". tn.gov. Retrieved 2019年04月02日.
- ^ "Cabinet". tn.gov. Retrieved 2019年04月02日.
- ^ "About the Tennessee Legislature". capitol.tn.gov. Retrieved 2021年07月23日.
- ^ "Comptroller of the Treasury – Comptroller.TN.gov". comptroller.tn.gov. Retrieved 2021年07月23日.
- ^ "Welcome to the Tennessee Secretary of State's Website | Tennessee Secretary of State". sos.tn.gov. Retrieved 2021年07月23日.
- ^ "Tennessee Department of Treasury—College Savings, Unclaimed Property, Retirement, Financial Education". treasury.tn.gov. Retrieved 2021年07月23日.
- ^ "Supreme Court | Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts". www.tncourts.gov. Retrieved 2019年04月02日.
- ^ "Justice Kirby Elected To Serve As Chief Justice Of Tennessee Supreme Court". tncourts.gov.
- ^ "District Directory". Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
- ^ "2022 Tennessee District Attorney elections" (PDF). Tennessee Secretary of State .
- ^ "Duties-County Mayor | UT County Technical Assistance Service". www.ctas.tennessee.edu. Retrieved 2025年04月15日.
- ^ "County Executives & Mayors | UT County Technical Assistance Service". www.ctas.tennessee.edu. Retrieved 2025年04月15日.