Elected Office · Judicial
Judicial Retention (appellate)
- Level
- Judicial
- Area represented
- Statewide (Tennessee Supreme Court, 5 justices)
- Term length
- 8 years
- Term limits
- Awaiting verification
- Election cycle
- Statewide retention
A retention election is not a race. There is no opponent. You answer one question: should this judge stay?
Appellate judges face STATEWIDE retention. That means a Davidson County voter votes on whether to retain judges of the Eastern and Western Divisions — regions they do not live in.
Trial court judges (circuit, chancery, criminal, general sessions) follow different rules. Do NOT generalize appellate rules to trial courts.
Main responsibilities
- A RETAIN vote keeps the judge in office.
- A REPLACE vote begins the process of replacing the judge. It does NOT let you choose the replacement on that ballot.
On the 2026 ballot
Upcoming election: Tennessee State and Federal General — November 3, 2026
Candidates for the November 3, 2026 general election will be published here as they are verified against the official ballot.