Editing Tennessee (section)

===Judicial system===
{{see also|Courts of Tennessee}}
Tennessee's highest court is the [[Tennessee Supreme Court|state Supreme Court]].{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|pp=51–52}} It has a [[List of justices of the Tennessee Supreme Court|chief justice and four associate justices]].{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|pp=51–52}} No more than two justices can be from the same [[Grand Divisions of Tennessee|Grand Division]].{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|pp=51–52}} The Supreme Court of Tennessee appoints the state's [[Tennessee Attorney General|Attorney General]], a practice only found in Tennessee.{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|p=132}} Both the [[Tennessee Court of Appeals|Court of Appeals]] and the [[Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals|Court of Criminal Appeals]] have 12 judges, who are evenly from each Grand Division.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/geninfo/Bio/CrimAppeals/Biocca.htm |title=Court of Criminal Appeals |publisher=Tsc.state.tn.us |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100731015238/http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/geninfo/Bio/CrimAppeals/Biocca.htm |archive-date=July 31, 2010}}</ref> Under the [[Tennessee Plan]], the governor appoints justices on all three courts to eight-year terms; they must be [[retention election|retained]] by the voters during the first general election after appointment and at the end of their term.{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|pp=167–168}} Tennessee is divided into 31 judicial districts, each with a circuit and chancery court, and a [[district attorney]] and judges elected to eight-year terms. Separate criminal courts serve 13 of the 31 judicial districts; circuit courts handle criminal cases in the remaining districts. Local courts include general sessions, juvenile and domestic, and municipal courts.{{sfn|Lyons, Scheb, & Stair|2001|pp=159–161}}

Tennessee maintains four dedicated law enforcement agencies: the [[Tennessee Highway Patrol]] (THP), the [[Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency]] (TWRA), the [[Tennessee Bureau of Investigation]] (TBI), and the [[Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation]] (TDEC). The Highway Patrol is the primary entity that enforces highway safety regulations and general non-[[wildlife]] state laws. It is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Safety. The TWRA is an independent agency tasked with enforcing all wildlife, boating, and fishery regulations outside of state parks. TDEC enforces state environmental laws and regulations. The TBI is the primary state-level criminal investigative department. State [[park ranger]]s are responsible for all activities and law enforcement inside the Tennessee State Parks system. Tennessee, like many other southern states, has a strong reputation for harsh criminal punishment. [[Capital punishment in Tennessee|Capital punishment]] is legal in Tennessee and has existed at various times since statehood.<ref name="StateExecution">{{cite web |url=http://www.state.tn.us/correction/media/deathpenalty.html |title=Death Penalty in Tennessee |publisher=Tennessee Department of Correction |access-date=August 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815202759/http://www.state.tn.us/correction/media/deathpenalty.html |archive-date=August 15, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/death-row-inmates-state-and-size-death-row-year?scid=9&did=188#state |title=Death Row Inmates by State |publisher=Death Penalty Information Center |date=April 1, 2015 |access-date=August 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820172723/http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/death-row-inmates-state-and-size-death-row-year?scid=9&did=188#state |archive-date=August 20, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Lethal injection]] is the primary means of execution, but [[electrocution]] is also allowed.<ref name="time20140522">{{cite news |url=https://time.com/109909/tennessee-brings-back-electric-chair/ |title=Tennessee Says It Will Bring Back the Electric Chair |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |first=Eliana |last=Dockterman |date=May 22, 2014 |access-date=May 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140523003000/http://time.com/109909/tennessee-brings-back-electric-chair/ |archive-date=May 23, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="reuters20140523">{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tennessee-execution-idUSBREA4M03520140523 |title=Tennessee reinstates electric chair as death penalty option |work=Reuters |first=Tim |last=Ghianni |date=May 23, 2014 |access-date=May 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140523191159/http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/23/us-usa-tennessee-execution-idUSBREA4M03520140523 |archive-date=May 23, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>