Circuit Court
Among the types of cases heard by the Circuit Courts are contract disputes, civil torts, condemnations, worker’s compensation claims, domestic matters, and the administration of estates.
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Currently comprised of eight divisions, Davidson County's Circuit Courts serve the 20th Judicial District. Circuit Court is a court of general jurisdiction and shares equal standing with the Criminal and Chancery trial courts.
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Three divisions of the court specialize in specific areas of law. Third and Fourth Circuit Courts preside exclusively over domestic matters and all matters of estate administration are assigned to Seventh Circuit Court.
General Sessions - Civil Division
General Sessions Court is vested with a broad range of jurisdiction and is often the public’s first introduction to the judicial process. There are eleven divisions of the Metropolitan General Sessions Courts with an elected Judge to serve in each division. This Court handles both criminal matters and civil lawsuits. The eleven Judges rotate each week to preside over the various civil and criminal dockets. The General Sessions Courts are served by two different Clerks:
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the Criminal Court Clerk and the Circuit Court Clerk. The Circuit Court Clerk's office files and manages the Court files and dockets for the General Sessions - Civil Division. Civil matters include several different type cases:
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Civil warrants with a jurisdictional limit of $25,000
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Detainer warrants (landlord/tenant disputes)
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Recovery warrants
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Orders of protection
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Mental health committals
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Environmental codes violations.
Probate Court
The Probate Court Clerk's Office handles the clerk's responsibilities for all matters filed in the Seventh Circuit Court - Probate Division. The Seventh Circuit Court has exclusive jurisdiction in Davidson County for all matters related to the administration of deceased person's estates, including the probating of wills, and is, thus, commonly referred to as the Davidson County Probate Court.
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The Probate Court also has concurrent jurisdiction over the creation and supervision of conservatorships and guardianships. To a lesser degree, the Probate Court also handles other types of cases, including, but not limited to, adult and minor name changes, emancipations, legitimations, and various legal matters involving trusts.
Traffic Court
Traffic Court is a General Sessions Office responsible for processing the citations issued by various law enforcement agencies for the violation of Metro ordinances and/or State motor vehicle codes. Scheduling court dates, maintaining the citation record, and collecting all fines and fees are among several of the various duties and functions of the office.