TN Court Records

There could be many reasons you need to find and access TN court records. Perhaps you are considering a business partnership with a person or even a company. Searching the public records can help you find out background information that can aid you in this decision making process.

Reasons for Searching Court Records

Public records held with the court can reveal if there have been any lawsuits against the person or business. This is valuable information when you have to make business dealings while trusting the integrity of the person. Public court records can also show if there are any liens or judgments against the individual, and if so, then you might want to reconsider that potential partnership.

If you are thinking of leaving your secured job and working with a company you do not know very much about, then it can make sense to look up relevant public records through the court. These records will reveal if there has been any case where the company was sued, and if so, its outcome. Companies also carry out background checks on individuals, particularly when they are hiring employees, just to ensure that the person who is about to be hired does not have any criminal record.

Information Contained in Court Records

There could be many types of information that you will find in the court records of Tennessee, and this includes:

•    Age and the sex 

•    The address and phone numbers - current and past 

•    Marriage records

•    Divorce records

•    Default records

•    Police, courts, arrest and also criminal records 

•    Army, military and navy records 

•    Business and property records

Depending on what kind or kinds of court record you’re looking for, you will know which Tennessee court you must approach. In Tennessee, there are 4 types of courts with general jurisdiction, and 3 types with limited jurisdiction.

Finding the Correct Court

The courts with general jurisdiction are Chancery Courts, Circuit Courts, Probate Courts and Criminal Courts. Courts having limited jurisdiction include the Municipal Courts, Sessions Courts and the Juvenile Courts.

The Circuit Courts enjoy general jurisdiction on all criminal and civil cases, and they share jurisdiction on some case types with different courts. If there is no court with jurisdiction on the case, the Circuit Court will hear it. Circuit Courts as well as Criminal Courts share original jurisdiction on all cases that are criminal in nature.

The General Sessions Courts and the Circuit Court share the jurisdiction on a majority of the cases inside financial limits of the Session Court’s jurisdiction; there are some civil cases where there is no financial limit, such as in cases of personal property recovery.

How to Find and Access Court Records

For many years, it was very difficult if not almost impossible to access the court records that you needed. The fact is, you had to be an insider to do this. Or, you needed to retain the services of a good lawyer or be a friend of the TN clerk. Not only are the authorities today legally bound to maintain all the records, but they are also legally bound to share the information with you.

Now, if you want to access a person’s court records, you can use his or her Social Security number to get the information needed; this information can include the present and past addresses, occupation and age, and whether the person has any criminal history or not.

If you cannot use the Social Security number for whatever reason, then you can still access the records through the state website where the databases are maintained, or from the public library where public records are kept.

Here are some other ways you can access the court records:

•    You can physically visit the appropriate courthouse and approach the clerk. You should be prepared to wait in line for a while because there is almost always a heavy rush.

•    You can also call the courthouse and ask for your records. Once your request has been placed, the authorities will conduct a search and mail the record to you. This will cost you some money and you will have to wait for the mail to arrive.

•    It is now possible to access your court records on some private websites on the Internet as well. Though this may cost additional money, you can save time and experience fewer hassles.