Tennessee Supreme Court opinions can be appealed only to the federal courts, which may or may not agree to consider an appeal. All final decisions of the Court of Appeals may be appealed to the Tennessee Supreme Court. The Court of Appeals meets in Knoxville, Nashville and Jackson, sitting in panels of three judges. When a vacancy occurs on the Court of Appeals, the 15-member Judicial Selection Commission recommends three candidates from the grand division of the state in which the vacancy exists. The governor appoints a new judge from the list of three candidates.
Voters decide to retain or reject the judges, who run unopposed.
The twelve Court of Criminal Appeals judges also are selected under Tennessee's version of the Missouri Plan. Panels of three judges sit monthly in Jackson, Knoxville and Nashville to hear cases. As with the Court of Appeals, the Court of Criminal Appeals meets at other places and times as necessary. Also like the Court of Appeals, the Court of Criminal Appeals does not conduct trials. Instead, the records of the original trials in lower courts are reviewed, with attorneys presenting the legal issues.