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SB1858 • 2026

Civil Procedure

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 20, Chapter 18, relative to civil procedure.

Active

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

Sponsor
Stevens, Lankford
Last action
2026-04-14
Official status
Passed H., Ayes 76, Nays 20, PNV 0
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Changes to Civil Procedure Rules

This bill changes how three-judge panels are selected for civil cases and where these cases can be heard, while also increasing the time given to fix redistricting issues.

What This Bill Does

  • Removes the requirement that the Supreme Court selects two trial court judges from a list provided by the original judge in a civil case. Instead, it requires the Supreme Court to choose three trial court judges directly and ensures one is from each part of the state.
  • Changes where a civil action can be heard when using a three-judge panel. It no longer limits this to the county where the plaintiff lives but allows any county in Tennessee.
  • Increases the time given to the General Assembly to fix problems with redistricting plans from 15 days to 90 days.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People involved in civil cases that use three-judge panels
  • The Supreme Court and trial court judges of Tennessee
  • Lawmakers responsible for fixing redistricting issues

Terms To Know

Civil action
A lawsuit between individuals or organizations in a civil court.
Three-judge panel
A group of three judges who hear and decide on certain types of cases together.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the Supreme Court will select the trial court judges.
  • It is unclear what happens if a plaintiff in a civil case lives outside Tennessee.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB2184

Plain English: The amendment changes how certain civil actions are handled by requiring a three-judge panel from different regions of Tennessee to hear and decide these cases, allows for venue in any county, and extends the time limit for filing responses.

  • Requires that when specific civil actions are filed, they must be heard by a three-judge panel selected by the Supreme Court, with each judge coming from a different region of Tennessee.
  • Allows these cases to be tried in any county within the state, regardless of where the incident occurred or the defendant's location.
  • Increases the time limit for filing responses to such actions from 15 days to 90 days.
  • The amendment text does not specify which civil actions are described in § 20-18-101(a), so it's unclear exactly what cases this applies to.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1858

Plain English: The amendment changes how certain civil actions are handled by requiring a three-judge panel from different regions of Tennessee to hear and decide these cases, allows for venue in any county, and extends the time limit for filing responses.

  • Requires that when specific civil actions are filed, they must be heard by a three-judge panel selected by the Supreme Court, with each judge coming from a different region of Tennessee.
  • Allows these cases to be tried in any county within the state, regardless of where the incident occurred or the parties reside.
  • Increases the time limit for filing responses to such actions from 15 days to 90 days.
  • The amendment text does not specify which civil actions are described in § 20-18-101(a), so it's unclear exactly what cases this applies to.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 76, Nays 20, PNV 0

  2. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0773)

  3. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  4. 2026-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  5. 2026-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/13/2026

  6. 2026-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/9/2026

  7. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  8. 2026-03-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  9. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  10. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 27, Nays 6

  11. 2026-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0619)

  12. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/23/2026

  13. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Judiciary Committee to 3/25/2026

  14. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/19/2026

  15. 2026-03-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  16. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Judiciary Committee for 3/18/2026

  17. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec for pass if am by s/c ref. to Judiciary Committee

  18. 2026-03-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 7, Nays 2 PNV 0

  19. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Judiciary Committee calendar for 3/9/2026

  20. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Civil Justice Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  21. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Civil Justice Subcommittee

  22. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Judiciary Committee

  23. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, caption bill, held on desk - pending amdt.

  24. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  25. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Judiciary Committee

  26. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  27. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  28. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 19, 2026, THE SENATE
ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1858, AS AMENDED.

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



Removes the present law requirement for the
supreme court
to
select two trial court judges of courts of record to sit with the judge to whom the civil action was originally assigned as a three-judge panel to hear and decide the civil action.
This amendment requires, instead, that the supreme court select the three
trial court judges of courts of record to sit as a three-judge panel to hear and decide the civil action.
Additionally, the supreme court must select one judge on such panel
from each grand division of the state.



Removes from present law that the venue for a civil action heard by a three-judge panel is
the county where the plaintiff resides, or if more than one plaintiff is a party to the action, a county where any plaintiff resides
;

i
f the plaintiff is not a resident of this state, then venue for the civil action is in Sumner County.
This bill provides, instead, that the venue for such civil action is any county in this state.



I
ncrease
s the
minimum time from 15 to 90 days that a court must give the general assembly to remedy any defects in a redistricting plan
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 2184
By Lankford

SENATE BILL 1858
By Stevens
SB1858
010563
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 20,
Chapter 18, relative to civil procedure.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 20-18-105(a), is amended by
deleting "fifteen (15) calendar" and substituting "ninety (90) calendar".
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.