Tennessee Code Annotated

Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-15-401 (2026)

General powers

✓ current as of May 2026

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(a) Each general sessions court judge is vested with power to:
- (1) Grant writs of attachment, returnable to the circuit court, in the same manner and to the same extent as the circuit judge;
- (2) Enter up judgment by confession of a defendant to any amount within the judge's jurisdiction in the particular case;
- (3) Issue an execution in the judge's county upon a certified execution from another county;
- (4) Issue a subpoena for witnesses, in any matter to be tried before the judge, to the judge's own or an adjoining county;
- (5) Issue scire facias to revive judgments against the personal representatives and heirs of deceased parties, to any county in the state;
- (6) Issue alias and pluries executions whenever necessary;
- (7) Issue counterpart writs to any county in the state for the principal maker of any bill, bond, or note, at the instance of the surety or endorser who is sued thereon; and
- (8) Punish persons disturbing them in the discharge of their official duties.

(b) Judges of general sessions courts have the same authority as circuit court judges or chancellors to grant fiats for writs of injunction, attachments and other extraordinary process. They also have the same jurisdiction relative to the suspension and revocation of sentences imposed by them as that conferred upon all trial judges by title 40, chapter 29.

(c) The judges of courts of general sessions of counties of the third class, as defined in [former] § 16-15-204 [repealed], having a population of not less than forty-seven thousand eight hundred fifty (47,850) nor more than forty-seven thousand eight hundred seventy-five (47,875), according to the 1970 federal census or any subsequent federal census, in addition to the jurisdiction and powers conferred elsewhere in this chapter, have the authority to sit by interchange for the county judge in nonsupport, probate, juvenile and lunacy proceedings.

Code 1858, § 4125 (deriv. Acts 1794, ch. 1, § 19; 1801, ch. 7, § 4; 1805, ch. 66, §§ 4, 6; 1837-1838, ch. 102, § 1; 1843-1844, ch. 112, § 1; 1847-1848, ch. 55, § 15; 1849-1850, ch. 103, § 1; 1851-1852, ch. 181, § 3); Shan., § 5937; Code 1932, § 10138; Acts 1959, ch. 109, § 2; 1961, ch. 138, § 1; 1965, ch. 114, § 1; 1967, ch. 276, § 1; 1968, ch. 635, § 2; 1969, ch. 44, § 2; 1973, ch. 88, § 2; 1973, ch. 355, § 2; 1974, ch. 432, § 2; impl. am. 1979, ch. 68, §§ 2, 3; modified; T.C.A., § 19-202; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 16-1104; Acts 1993, ch. 241, § 9.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 10 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 1987–2026 · leading case: Benson v. Herbst, 240 S.W.3d 235 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2007).

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Benson v. Herbst, 240 S.W.3d 235 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2007). · cites it 2× “Glanton did not have the option to ask that the case be transferred to circuit court.”

Ware v. Meharry Med. Coll., 898 S.W.2d 181 (Tenn. 1995). · cites it 2× “Tenn.Code Ann. § 16-15-401(c) (Supp.1993); Tenn.”

State v. McClintock, 732 S.W.2d 268 (Tenn. 1987). “§ 40-l-109(a) provides in part: “In addition to the jurisdiction in criminal cases as conferred in §§ 16-15-401, 16-15-501, the court of general sessions is hereby vested with jurisdiction to try and *270 determine and render final judgment in all misdemeanor cases brought…”

Lewis v. Metro. Gen. Sessions Court for Nashville, 949 S.W.2d 696 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1996). “— (a) In addition to the jurisdiction in criminal cases as conferred in §§ 16-15-401, 16-15-501, the court of general sessions is hereby vested with jurisdiction to try and determine and render final judgment in all misdemeanor cases brought before the court by warrant or…”

Shontel S. Ross v. Deidra L. Grandberry, M.D. (Tenn. Ct. App. 2014). · cites it 8× “We have interpreted Tennessee Code Annotated section 16-15-401 to require action by the general sessions court judge–not to require the consent of plaintiffs.”

Baxter Bailey Investments LLC v. APL Ltd. Inc. (Tenn. Ct. App. 2015). · cites it 8× “” Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-15-401 (a)(8). APL argues, in its brief to this Court, that this provision affords the general sessions court the authority to issue discretionary awards, including sanctions as in this case.”

Jontae A. Fischiettie v. Econo Auto Painting of West Tennessee, Inc. (Tenn. Ct. App. 2026). · cites it 4× “]” Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-15-401 (2). Tennessee law also provides that a defendant may confess judgment for fines and costs in a criminal matter.”

Mark Elliott v. Dave Wright (Tenn. Ct. App. 2025). · cites it 2× “Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-15-401 , did the Knox County Circuit Court err when it effectively removed the Knox County General Sessions Court’s injunctive powers and undermined the legislative intent of injunctive relief? 3.”

Metro. Gov't Of Nashville & Davidson Cnty. v. Layton Jones (Tenn. Ct. App. 2021). “§ 16-15-401(b) (General sessions court judges “have the same authority as circuit court judges or chancellors to grant .”

State v. Buford (Tenn. Crim. App. 1997). · cites it 2× “Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 16-15-401 , -501, 40-1-109 defines the jurisdiction of general sessions courts which includes the authority to try misdemeanor cases.”

— Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-15-401(2) — 1 case

Jontae A. Fischiettie v. Econo Auto Painting of West Tennessee, Inc. (Tenn. Ct. App. 2026). “]” Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-15-401 (2). Tennessee law also provides that a defendant may confess judgment for fines and costs in a criminal matter.”

— Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-15-401(a) — 2 cases

Shontel S. Ross v. Deidra L. Grandberry, M.D. (Tenn. Ct. App. 2014). “We have interpreted Tennessee Code Annotated section 16-15-401 to require action by the general sessions court judge–not to require the consent of plaintiffs.”

Baxter Bailey Investments LLC v. APL Ltd. Inc. (Tenn. Ct. App. 2015). “” Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-15-401 (a)(8). APL argues, in its brief to this Court, that this provision affords the general sessions court the authority to issue discretionary awards, including sanctions as in this case.”

— Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-15-401(a)(2) — 1 case

Benson v. Herbst, 240 S.W.3d 235 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2007). “Glanton did not have the option to ask that the case be transferred to circuit court.”

— Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-15-401(a)(8) — 1 case

— Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-15-401(b) — 1 case

— Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-15-401(c) — 1 case

Ware v. Meharry Med. Coll., 898 S.W.2d 181 (Tenn. 1995). “Tenn.Code Ann. § 16-15-401(c) (Supp.1993); Tenn.”

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