As Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Roger A. Page plans to retire at the end of August, six judges from around the state are vying to replace him. The Tennessee Star plans to profile each of the applicants before they are interviewed for the position in January.
Applicant Van Douglas McMahan is a McNairy County General Sessions Court Judge and McNairy County Juvenile Court Judge.
Every county has a general sessions court, and the jurisdiction of those courts varies from county to county based on state law. General sessions courts hear both civil and criminal cases.
“Civil jurisdiction is restricted to specific monetary limits and types of actions,” according to the State of Tennessee. “Criminal jurisdiction is limited to preliminary hearings in felony cases and misdemeanor trials in which a defendant waives the right to a grand jury investigation and trial by jury in Circuit or Criminal Court.”
General sessions judges, who are elected to eight year terms, serve as juvenile judges except in counties where the legislature has established separate juvenile courts.
McMahan (pictured above) also has a private law practice, the McMahan Law Firm.
“Van Douglas McMahan graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1990 and later earned his J.D. Degree from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Mr. McMahan has served as McNairy County Tennessee’s General Sessions and Juvenile Court Judge from 2006 to the Present,” according to his profile on Justia.
That profile says that McMahan has been practicing law since 1997, and that he has represented individuals and corporations in “a wide range of civil matters in Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi, including but not limited to social security, bankruptcies, personal injury, medical malpractice, and workers compensation.”
Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s Council for Judicial Appointments will hold a public meeting on January 4 at the Belmont College of Law, Randall and Sadie Baskin Center to interview the six applicants for the position.
That council is chaired by Lang Wiseman, an attorney at the Nashville firm Baker Donelson and Lee’s chief counsel.
The 11 member council is appointed by Lee, and each member serves a two-year term.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter/X.
Photo “Van McMahan” by Van McMahan. Background Photo “Tennessee Supreme Court” by Reading Tom. CC BY 2.0.
