It may come as a surprise, but Tennessee’s juvenile courts are not just like the state’s adult court system but for children.

Tennessee is home to 98 juvenile courts. The Juvenile Court of Memphis & Shelby County is one of the 17 designated “Private Act” juvenile courts created by a private act of the state Legislature while the remaining 81 are general sessions courts with juvenile jurisdiction. “There is little standardization in juvenile court size, case management procedures and court administrative practices,” according to the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts. 

Under Tennessee law, the purpose of the state’s juvenile courts and their proceedings are to “provide for the care, protection and wholesome moral, mental and physical development of children” and to “remove from children committing delinquent acts the taint of criminality and the consequences of criminal behavior and substitute” training and rehabilitation.

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The law also says all of that should take place “in a family environment whenever possible, separating the child from such child’s parents only when necessary for such child’s welfare or in the interest of public safety.”

Here are some specifics of how the Juvenile Court of Memphis & Shelby County works.

Who is a juvenile for the purposes of Juvenile Court?

An individual under the age of 18 years old who has not been previously transferred to adult court for trial.

What types of cases are heard in Juvenile Court?

• Child custody;
• Termination of parental rights;
• Evaluation and/or commitment of children who are mentally ill or developmentally disabled;
• Remitting a child into the custody of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services;
• Establishing a child’s parents;
• Ordering and enforcing child support for the children of unwed parents;
• Visitation for noncustodial parents;
• Enforcing compulsory school attendance laws;
• Waiving age restrictions for minors seeking marriage licenses;
• Judicial consent for a minor to enlist in or go to work for the armed services where such consent is required;
• Judicial consent for the medical treatment of a child when parents or guardians are unable to grant such consent;
• Alleged traffic violations by those under the age of 18;
• Transfer of “serious delinquency cases” to an adult criminal court for trial; and
• Determinations of whether a child is:
  • “Dependent and neglected,” meaning they are victims of abuse or neglect by primary caregivers
  • “Unruly,” meaning they’ve engaged in actions that are illegal because the alleged offender is a juvenile (for instance, a minor in possession of tobacco)
  • “Delinquent,” meaning they’ve allegedly committed a set of juvenile offenses in state law covering the most serious felony crimes such as murder, rape and robbery; includes children who have been issued summons instead of being sent to detention

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Who leads the court and how is it structured?

The Juvenile Court of Memphis & Shelby County is led by an elected judge who serves a term of eight years — the same term of office as the state’s other elected trial court judges and the Shelby County District Attorney General.

Tarik Sugarmon was elected Juvenile Court Judge in August 2022 and took office at the beginning of September. 

The judge appoints magistrate judges to hear matters across several different dockets from delinquency to protective custody orders to dependency and neglect matters.

The elected juvenile court judge acts as an administrator as well as presides over cases.

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The group of magistrate judges, some with specific jurisdiction over child-support matters, is overseen on a day-to-day basis by a chief magistrate. Here are the current magistrates:

• Aftan Strong, chief magistrate
• Ray Glasgow, chief legal officer
• Alycia Chism
• Lyttonia Cunningham
• Taylor Bachelor
• Terre Fratesi
• Harold Horne
• Nancy Kessler
• Mitzi Pollard
• Kevin Rardin

Here are the current child support magistrates:

• Nancy Kessler, chief child support magistrate 
• James Franklin
• Sheldon McCall
• Debra Sanders

Four General Sessions Court Judges also have Juvenile Court jurisdiction:

• Greg Gilbert
• Christian Johnson
• Betty Thomas Moore
• Lee Wilson

Origins: The Juvenile Court of Memphis & Shelby County is one of 17 created by a private act of the state Legislature in Tennessee. Other juvenile courts in the state have different origins in the law. The Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts, in its explanation of juvenile and family courts, cautions “there is little standardization in juvenile court size, case management procedures and court administrative practices.”

“This means that the systems and practices in Tennessee’s juvenile courts vary widely and tend to reflect the needs and preferences of the people living in that particular community,” the AOC website reads.

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Can anyone watch court proceedings or see records of cases?

Records and proceedings of the Memphis and Shelby County Juvenile Court are public, in some instances; however, even then, the information that is made public is limited.

What is available to the public depends on Tennessee state law and the practices of Juvenile Court.

Court files and records are closed to the public in most cases. Information in many cases is limited to judges, officers of the court and the professional staff and attorneys involved in the proceedings.

The exception is a juvenile age 14 years old or older who is accused of the most violent felonies, ranging from first-degree murder to aggravated kidnapping or a delinquent act that “would constitute an act of terrorism or an attempted act of terrorism,” according to state law.

Under state law, an “act of terrorism” is something designed to “intimidate or coerce a civilian population” or “influence the policy of a unit of government.”

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It can include “a premeditated act of violence or violence in pursuit of religious, ideological or social objectives” that is aimed at law enforcement officers, correctional officers, first responders and probation or parole officers.

Even in those cases, the public record is limited to petitions and orders from the court. It cannot include medical reports and psychological evaluations.

Once the court makes a decision, a record of what was decided is made for the parent or guardian of the child and to the school the juvenile may be attending.

Here are a few basics about the scope of the court:

From Juvenile Court Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2021, the most recent available and the Juvenile Court Dashboard

Staff: 159

Yearly budget: $13.5 million

Children held in detention, throughout the year: 689

Children transferred for trial as adults, throughout the year: 40 (out of 131 requested by prosecutors)

In comparison

Children held in detention: 

• Fiscal year 2020: 622
• Fiscal year 2019: 980
• Fiscal year 2018: 926
• Fiscal year 2017: 869 

Children transferred for trial as adults: 

• Fiscal year 2020: 49
• Fiscal year 2019: 90
• Fiscal year 2018: 78
• Fiscal year 2017: 92