Court System:  Board of Jury Commissioners & Jurors

All private acts creating county boards of jury commissioners were repealed by §22-2-201 of Tennessee Code Annotated, except in Davidson, Knox and Hamilton counties. The general statutes dealing with jurors and juries can be found in T.C.A. title 22. County boards of jury commissioners are described in T.C.A. §22-2-201, and the qualifications of a juror are listed in T.C.A. §22-1-101.

The following acts once affected jurors or boards of jury commissioners in Jefferson County, but are no longer operative. Also referenced below are acts which repeal prior law without providing new substantive provisions.

1. Territorial Ordinance dated December 18, 1792, and signed by William Blount, Governor of the Territory of the United States south of the Ohio River, ordained that Jefferson County acting through its Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions would appoint and dispatch eight jurors to the Superior Court of the District, as directed by the laws of North Carolina.
2. Territorial Ordinance, dated March 13, 1793, formed Knox County and Jefferson County into the Hamilton Judicial District where the Superior Court of Law and Equity would hold two sessions each year on the second Monday in April and October, which sessions were to continue for ten judicial days. Each of the two counties would send 18 jurors to the Court and all cases arising in those two Counties were to be transferred by the Clerk of the Washington District.
3. Acts of 1794, Chapter 1, Page 1, declared that the territory south of the Ohio River would be henceforth divided into three Judicial Districts, the Washington District, the Hamilton District, and the Mero District, in each of which a Superior Court would be held for the trial of civil and criminal cases at the times heretofore appointed by law.
4. Acts of 1794, Chapter 8, Page 77, scheduled the court terms for the Superior Courts in each of the three Districts named in the preceding Act. The Superior Court of the Hamilton District would meet on the second Tuesday in April and October.
5. Acts of 1797, Chapter 6, Page 31, provided that the Superior Court of Law and Equity would hereafter begin in the Hamilton District on the fourth Monday in March and September.
6. Acts of 1797, Chapter 7, Page 34, announced that Knox County would furnish 12 jurors to the Superior Court of Law and Equity of the Hamilton District, Blount County would provide five jurors, Cocke County, four jurors, Sevier County, four jurors, Jefferson County, seven jurors, and Grainger County was tagged for five jurors.
7. Acts of 1799, Chapter 21, Page 49, Section 2, required Jefferson County to furnish five jurors to the Superior Court of the Hamilton District and Grainger County would send seven at the same time.
8. Acts of 1815, Chapter 70, Page 71, was the authority to appoint an additional Judge to the Supreme Court of Error and Appeals who would be chosen by a joint ballot of the General Assembly and commissioned by the Governor.
9. Acts of 1835-36, Chapter 3, Page 26, was part of the implementation required under the new Tennessee Constitution for the Judicial System. This Act provided for a three Judge Supreme Court of Errors and Appeals, one Judge to come from each of the three grand divisions of the State, who would be appointed by joint action of the General Assembly and be commissioned by the Governor. At least one session each year would be held by the Supreme Court at Knoxville, Nashville, and Jackson. Jefferson County, and 21 other counties, constituted the Eastern Division of the said Court.
10. Private Acts of 1911, Chapter 105, Page 249, amended Private Acts of 1903, Chapter 552, which created a Board of Jury Commissioners in several of the eastern Tennessee Counties under certain terms and conditions, by adding the appropriate population figures from the Federal Census of 1910 which would make the amended act effective in Jefferson County as well, but the Board in Jefferson County would consist of three discreet persons instead of the two prescribed for the other counties.
11. Private Acts of 1921, Chapter 850, Page 2630, was the legal authority for the Quarterly Court of Jefferson County to appoint jurors who would serve in the ensuing term of circuit court but none could serve who had been jurors in the two years next preceding their selection. The Court would select 25 jurors and name two Constables to wait upon them. Some qualifications were set up which the prospective juror must satisfy but anyone selected and not reporting to serve could be fined. The Judge could fill vacancies as they might occur in the ranks of the jurors. The Chancellors could direct the Sheriff to summon jurors to serve in the Chancery Courts as they might be needed.
12. Private Acts of 1925, Chapter 286, Page 1046, amended the caption of Private Acts of 1903, Chapter 552, to add the population figures necessary to making that Act apply to Jefferson County, thus providing for the County a three member Board of Jury Commissioner who would be appointed by the Quarterly Court at the July term of Court each year.
13. Private Acts of 1927, Chapter 335, Page 970, was the legal authority for the Jefferson County Quarterly Court to appoint 25 jurors before each term of the Circuit Court who would serve as both grand and petit jurors for that term. The jurors were to be selected from among the number recommended to the court by the Justices and be distributed as evenly as possible among the civil districts of the county. No one could serve who had served during the two years next preceding the selection. The Quarterly Court would also appoint two constables who would wait upon the next term of the Circuit Court. The County Court Clerk would send the list to the Circuit Court Clerk who would transmit the same to the Sheriff to summon the prospective jurors. Anyone failing to appear could be penalized by a fine and only the Judge could excuse anyone. If the panel should become exhausted the Circuit Court Judge could act to remedy the situation.
14. Private Acts of 1947, Chapter 213, Page 622, provided that jurors and officers would be paid $4.00 per day for their services in Jefferson County (identified by the use of the 1940 Federal Census). See Section 22-401 through 22-405, Tennessee Code Annotated for further information on this subject.