Tennessee High Court Agrees Judge Took Too Long

The Tennessee Supreme Court has upheld the Court of the Judiciary’s decision that Cocke County General Sessions Judge John A. Bell took too long to decide a personal injury case and related accusations.

The high court last Friday also affirmed the disciplinary panel’s sanctions against Bell, which included a 90-day suspension he served last August, September and October.

According to court records, Bell took more than nine months to decide the case, which involved a car accident. He was quoted as saying at the end of a hearing in the case that he would issue his decision in a week.

The high court said the sanctions were needed “to discourage similar instances of misconduct in the future.”