Polk County Juvenile Court, Tennessee

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The Polk County Juvenile Court resides in Tennessee. Click on the links below to learn more about the court's...

* Jurisdiction
* Selection method

## Contents

* 1 Jurisdiction
* 2 Selection method
* 2.1 Judicial elections in Tennessee
* 2.2 Primary election
* 2.2.1 County primary elections
* 3 See also
* 4 External links
* 5 Footnotes

## Jurisdiction[edit]

This court holds the following jurisdiction:[1]

“  | JUVENILE COURT JURISDICTION

A juvenile is defined as any individual who is under the chronological age of eighteen (18) years and who has not been previously transferred to adult court. Juvenile courts deal not only with delinquency and status offenses, but also with issues concerning dependency and neglect, child abuse, child support, custody issues, establishing parentage, visitation, and the need for medical and/or mental health treatment for children. Tennessee's juvenile courts have jurisdiction within the following areas:

* Adjudication of children as dependent and neglected, abused, status/unruly, or delinquent
* Determination of custody
* Termination of parental rights
* Ordering of treatment, evaluation and/or commitment of a developmentally disabled or mentally ill children
* Commitment of children to the custody of the Department of Children Services
* Establishment of parentage
* Ordering and enforcement of child support for children of unwed parents
* Establishing visitation for non-custodial parents
* Enforcement of the compulsory school attendance laws
* Removal of the age restrictions on a minor's application for a marriage license
* Giving of judicial consent to a minor's employment or enlistment in the armed services if law requires such consent
* Giving of judicial consent to the medical treatment of a child when his/her parents or guardians are unable to do so
* Judicial authorization of an abortion without parental consent
* Adjudication of alleged traffic violations by persons under the age of eighteen
* Transfer of serious delinquency cases to criminal court for trial as adults

Pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated § 37-1-159, the juvenile court is a court of record. It may enforce its orders in any way in which a court of equity may enforce its orders and decrees, including by imprisonment and/or by fine for contempt. For more, refer to the Tennessee Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Annual Juvenile Court Statistical Report.[2]

| ”

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## Selection method[edit]

See also: Judicial selection in the states

See also: Partisan election of judges

Judges of the juvenile court are elected in partisan elections to eight-year terms. Individual towns or cities may establish varying ordinances for the election of their municipal judges, such as allowing for some positions to be elected by popular vote, and some to be selected by other methods.[3][4][5][6]

Qualifications
To serve on the court, a judge must be:[7]

* authorized to practice law in state;
* a district resident for at least one year;
* a state resident five years; and
* at least 30 years old.

### Judicial elections in Tennessee[edit]

See also: Tennessee judicial elections

Tennessee is one of seven states that use partisan elections to initially select judges and then use retention elections to determine whether judges should remain on the bench. To read more about how states use judicial elections to select judges across the country, click here.

### Primary election[edit]

Primary elections may be held for trial court judges. The political parties in each county determine whether or not there will be a primary election in their respective counties.

#### County primary elections[edit]

Counties that are having a primary election will have them on a Tuesday in May. The candidate who wins the county primary election in May will then move on to the county general election in August and run against other party candidates that won their respective primaries.[8]

Primary elections in Tennessee serve to designate a party's nomination and narrow the field down to one candidate from that party for a specific office. A candidate who wins their primary nomination will move on to the general election.[8] It is not uncommon for a candidate to run unopposed in their party primary and then go on to run unopposed in the general election as well. Similarly, candidates may win their primary and go on to run unopposed in the general election.

Voters do not need to declare their party affiliation when they register to vote. However, primary voters must declare whether or not they will be voting in the Democratic or Republican primary.[8]

## See also[edit]

Local Courts

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Other Tennessee Courts

* Tennessee federal courts
* Courts in Tennessee
* Judicial selection in Tennessee
* Judicial selection in the states

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## External links[edit]

* Search Google News for this topic
* Tennessee courts

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Tennessee State Courts, "About Juvenile & Family Courts," accessed May 22, 2023
2. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
3. ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Tennessee; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived September 11, 2014
4. ↑ Justia - Tennessee Code, "37-1-207 - Special juvenile courts Judges," accessed July 22, 2015
5. ↑ Justia - Tennessee Code, "16-18-203 - Term of office," accessed July 22, 2015
6. ↑ Justia - Tennessee Code, "16-15-202 - Election Term," accessed November 20, 2014
7. ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Tennessee," archived September 11, 2014
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Hamilton County, Tennessee Election Commission: Differences Between Primary Elections & General Elections, accessed May 4, 2014

Tennessee courts

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Federal courts:

Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee

State courts:

Tennessee Supreme Court • Tennessee Court of Appeals • Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals • Tennessee Circuit Court • Tennessee Chancery Courts • Tennessee Criminal Court • Tennessee Probate Court • Tennessee General Sessions Court • Tennessee Juvenile Court • Tennessee Municipal Court

State resources:

Courts in Tennessee • Tennessee judicial elections • Judicial selection in Tennessee

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