TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Feb 12, 2026

The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office of Research and Education Accountability (OREA) has released the first study of state court resources in 13 years. According to the Tennessee Journal, the study found that 25 of the state's 32 districts need more judges or magistrates, especially in fast-growing areas like Rutherford, Cannon and Knox counties. Under a 2022 law, a judicial redistricting task force must present recommendations by 2027, but past efforts to redistrict have stalled. According to the paper, consolidation of districts also could prove costly. The comptroller's study shows that each judge in the 8th District in rural northeastern Tennessee spent an annual average of 255 hours traveling between courtrooms, while those in the 25th District in the southeastern part of the state spent an average of 229 hours. By contrast, judicial officers in single-county districts like Blount, Knox and Anderson counties, reported no travel time. Any restructuring would need to be enacted before the next judicial cycle begins after the August 2030 elections. Read a press release from the comptroller's office. Download the full report here.