TCA § 17-1-203 — Powers in other districts

The judges and chancellors are, notwithstanding § 17-1-102 , judges and chancellors for the state at large, and as such, may, upon interchange and upon other lawful ground, exercise the duties of office in any other judicial district in the state. Code 1858, § 3915 (deriv. Acts 1822, ch. 10, §§ 1, 2; 1826, ch. 2, § 2; 1855-1856, ch. 24); Shan., § 5708; Code 1932, § 9894; modified; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 17-108. Textbooks. Tennessee Jurisprudence, 16 Tenn. Juris., Judges, § 9. Cited: Jordan v. Knox County, 213 S.W.3d 751, 2007 Tenn. LEXIS 26 (Tenn. 2007). NOTES TO DECISIONS 1. In General. 2. Pro Confesso Decree. 3. Search Warrant. 1. In General. Under our judicial system, judges and chancellors, no matter where elected or by whom, are officers for the state at large, and not merely for their own circuits or divisions. McCulley v. State, 102 Tenn. 509, 53 S.W. 134 (1899). See also Saffrons v. Ericson, 43 Tenn. 1, 1866 Tenn. LEXIS 6 (1866); In re Chadwell, 54 Tenn. 630, 1872 Tenn. LEXIS 98 (1872); Stuart v. State, 60 Tenn. 178, 1873 Tenn. LEXIS 432 (1873). 2. Pro Confesso Decree. A judge, sitting by interchange with chancellor after chancellor adjourned court, had jurisdiction to enter decree pro confesso. Lieberman, Loveman & Cohn v. Knight, 153 Tenn. 268, 283 S.W. 450, 1925 Tenn. LEXIS 28 (1926). 3. Search Warrant. Circuit judges in Tennessee are judges for the state at large and have broad authority to issue a search warrant for use outside the judicial circuit to which they are elected. United States v. Muncey, 185 F. Supp. 107, 1960 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3493 (E.D. Tenn. 1960).