Judicial Districts

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 16, Chapter 2, relative to judicial districts.

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: Moody, Walley
Last action: 2026-04-02
Official status: Comp. SB subst.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The exact impact and changes from the task force's recommendations are not detailed.

Judicial District Changes

This bill extends deadlines related to judicial district reviews and adds an additional circuit court in one specific Tennessee district.

What This Bill Does

Extends the deadline for a task force to complete its review of judicial districts from January 1, 2027, to January 1, 2028.
Stretches out until December 31, 2028, when changes based on the task force's recommendations must be made by the general assembly to ensure reasonable access to courts and efficient use of resources.
Adds one more circuit court in the 28th judicial district (Crockett, Gibson, and Haywood counties) starting September 1, 2025.

Who It Names or Affects

People who work for or use Tennessee’s judicial system
Residents of the 28th judicial district (Crockett, Gibson, and Haywood counties)

Terms To Know

Judicial Districts: Areas in a state where courts have authority to hear cases
Task Force: A group of people brought together to work on a specific project or issue

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how the extra resources for the new court will be funded.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HA0764

Amendment 1-0 to HB0181

Plain English: This amendment changes specific dates in Tennessee's judicial district laws from 2027 to 2028.

Changes 'January 1, 2027' to 'January 1, 2028' in Section 16-2-522(a)(4) of Tennessee Code Annotated.
Changes 'December 31, 2027' to 'December 31, 2028' in Section 16-2-522(b) of Tennessee Code Annotated.

The amendment only specifies changes to dates and does not provide context about why these specific dates are being changed or what the impact might be.

SA0715

Amendment 1-0 to SB0166

Plain English: This amendment changes specific dates in Tennessee's judicial district laws from 2027 to 2028.

Changes 'January 1, 2027' to 'January 1, 2028' in Section 16-2-522(a)(4) of Tennessee Code Annotated.
Changes 'December 31, 2027' to 'December 31, 2028' in Section 16-2-522(b) of Tennessee Code Annotated.

The amendment only specifies changes to dates and does not provide context about what these dates represent or the broader impact on judicial districts.

Bill History

2026-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly
Transmitted to Governor for action.
2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by H. Speaker
2026-04-06 Tennessee General Assembly
Signed by Senate Speaker
2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Comp. SB subst.
2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Enrolled and ready for signatures
2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed H., Ayes 93, Nays 0, PNV 0
2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0764)
2026-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly
Subst. for comp. HB.
2026-03-30 Tennessee General Assembly
Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.
2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly
H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/2/2026
2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly
Engrossed; ready for transmission to House
2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 31, Nays 0
2026-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly
Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0715)
2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/26/2026
2026-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/26/2026
2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/23/2026
2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly
Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 3/25/2026
2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/18/2026
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Judiciary Committee
2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/16/2026
2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly
Placed on s/c cal Civil Justice Subcommittee for 3/11/2026
2026-02-23 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate Judiciary Committee
2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly
Assigned to s/c Civil Justice Subcommittee
2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly
P2C, ref. to Judiciary Committee
2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly
Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee
2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Intro., P1C.
2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly
Introduced, Passed on First Consideration
2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction
2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly
Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 26, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 166, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, make the following changes to present law:



E
xtends from January 1, 2027
,
to January 1, 2028
,
the

date by which the advisory task force to review composition of judicial districts has to complete its findings and publish a proposed statewide judicial redistricting plan.



Extends from
December 31, 2027
,

to
December 31, 2028
, the date by which the general assembly must, after the above submission, (i) r
eapportion the judicial districts to provide reasonable and timely access to Tennessee's circuit, chancery, and criminal courts; and
(ii) p
romote the efficient utilization of publicly funded resources allocated for the courts.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SENATE BILL 166
By Walley

HOUSE BILL 181
By Moody

HB0181
001657
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 16,
Chapter 2, relative to judicial districts.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 16-2-506(28)(A), is amended by
adding the following language as a new subdivision:
(iii) Effective September 1, 2025, there is created in the twenty-eighth judicial
district one (1) additional circuit court. The governor shall appoint a person to serve as
judge of the circuit court created by this subdivision (28)(A)(iii). The person so appointed
shall serve in that capacity until September 1, 2026, or until the person's successor is
elected and qualified. At the August 2026 general election, the qualified voters of the
twenty-eighth judicial district shall elect, in accordance with § 16-2-505, one (1) person
to serve as judge of the circuit court created by this subdivision (28)(A)(iii). The person
so elected at the August 2026 general election shall hold office until September 1, 2030,
or until the person's successor is elected and qualified. Thereafter, the judge of the
circuit court created by this subdivision (28)(A)(iii) must be elected for a full eight-year
term.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.