The Court will be Closed on September 1st for Labor Day
The Court will be Closed on September 1st for Labor Day
Circuit Court is a court of general jurisdiction and a court of record. The Circuit Court Clerk’s office is responsible for managing the caseload for the Circuit Court, performing the internal clerical operations, maintaining both electronic and hard copy records, and providing assistance to the Judge’s office in the courtroom. The Clerk’s office is also the custodian of all evidence submitted in all civil and criminal cases.
The Court will also entertain other short motions that require no prior file review by the Judge and no argument. Motions improperly set on this docket will be stricken, sua sponte. These motions are generally heard Tuesdays through Fridays at 8:00 a.m., but please check the dates listed below for availability.
Judge Thompson will hear short docket motions on the following days at 8:00 a.m. (Zoom only – See Zoom Hearing Information Section) or 8:30 a.m. (In Person Only):
2025
September – 2, 3, 4, 9, 11, 17, 25, 30
October – 2, 7, 21, 23, 28, 30
November – 6, 13, 18, 20, 25
December – 2, 4, 9, 11, 16, 18
The following types of cases are heard on the contested motion docket:
Contested Dockets are on Mondays (ONLY dates on this website are available) at 8:00 a.m. (with Testimony) and 1:00 p.m. (without Testimony) on the following dates:
2025
August – 4, 11
September – 8, 29
October – 6, 20
November – 3, 17, 24
December – 1, 15
The following dates are available for pro se irreconcilable differences divorce hearings:
2025
May – 6
June – 4
July – 9
August – 6
September – 3
October – 1
November – 5
December – 3
All short motion dockets will be split each day into an 8:00 am “Zoom Docket” and an 8:30 am “In Person Docket”. Attorneys have the option to have their short motion heard on either the 8:00 am Zoom docket (your motion must include the required Zoom language) or the 8:30 am in person docket. The Zoom link listed below will be used for all Zoom hearings. Please contact Judge Thompson’s Judicial Assistant if you have any questions or concerns.
**If an interpreter is needed, you must appear in person or specially set your Motion**
1. In all contested cases that require more than an hour of the court’s time, requests for a final hearing are made by filing the appropriate Certificate of Readiness (“COR”) signed by ALL attorneys participating in the case. The COR shall be filed in the circuit court clerk’s office.
2. There are three COR forms online at:
a. Divorce
b. Post-Divorce
c. All other civil cases.
3. Once the COR has been filed as indicated above, the attorneys will be contacted by Judge Thompson’s judicial assistant with available trial dates. After all attorneys confirm an agreeable trial date in writing with the judicial assistant, the court will prepare and file an order setting the case for trial.
4. In the event that all attorneys do not or will not sign the COR, the attorney seeking a court date shall file a motion asking the court to enter a COR and set the case. The motion should state that the case is at issue and adverse counsel refuses to sign the certificate of readiness.
5. By signing the COR, an attorney is certifying to the court that the case is at issue and all necessary or desired trial preparation is complete. As a result, requests for continuances will NOT be liberally granted.
All Sumner County offices including the Courts will be closed on the following days in 2025/2026:
January 1 – New Year’s Day
January 20 – Martin Luther King
February 17 – President’s Day
April 18 – Good Friday
May 26 – Memorial Day
June 19 – Juneteenth
July 4 – Independence Day
September 1 – Labor Day
October 13 – Columbus Day
November 11 – Veteran’s Day
November 27 – Thanksgiving
November 28 – Day after Thanksgiving
December 24 – Christmas Eve
December 25 – Christmas Day
December 26 – Day After Christmas
January 1, 2026 – New Year’s Day
1. In all contested cases that require more than an hour of the court’s time, requests for a final hearing must be made by filing the appropriate Certificate of Readiness (“COR”), signed by all attorneys participating in the case. The COR shall be filed in the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office.
2. There are three COR forms online at:
a. Divorce
b. Post-Divorce
c. All other civil cases.
3. Once the COR has been filed as indicated above, the attorneys will be contacted by Judge Thompson’s judicial assistant with available trial dates. After all attorneys confirm an agreeable trial date in writing with the judicial assistant, the Court will prepare and file an order setting the case for trial.
4. In the event that all attorneys do not—or will not—sign the COR, the attorney seeking a court date shall file a motion asking the Court to enter a COR and set the case. The motion should state that the case is at issue and that adverse counsel refuses to sign the Certificate of Readiness.
5. By signing the COR, an attorney is certifying to the Court that the case is at issue and that all necessary or desired trial preparation is complete. As a result, requests for continuances will not be liberally granted.
Parties Without Children:
Parties With Children:
