East Ridge Municipal Court

Address 

1517 Tombras Avenue 
East Ridge, TN 37412

Contact Information 

(423) 867-2701 (Office) 
(423) 867-2712 (Fax) 

Operating Hours 

Monday - Friday: 8:00am to 4:30pm 

Court Clerk's office is closed on Tuesday beginning at 1:30 pm when court proceedings begin.
 


East Ridge Muncipal Court is located inside City Hall. The East Ridge Court Clerk's office oversees the daily operations for East Ridge Municipal Court and is responsible for any issues related to charges incurred in the City of East Ridge jurisdiction. 
 

Tracy Cox 
Municipal Court Judge 

Patricia Cassidy 
pcassidy@eastridgetn.gov
Court Clerk 

Matrika Saintaude 
msaintaude@eastridgetn.gov
Deputy Court Clerk 

Terrie Leidholdt 
tleidholdt@eastridgetn.gov
Court Operations Assistant 
 

City Court:

Court is held every Tuesday of each week.

Incarcerated defendants and preliminary hearings at 1:30 pm.

Traffic Court  - 3:00pm
Criminal Court - 4:00pm

The Court Clerk's office will stop taking phone calls at 3:00 pm once Traffic Court starts on Tuesdays.  WE DO NOT reschedule on the day of court.  Any rescheduling requests need to be submitted one week prior to your court date and will be at the discretion of the Court Clerk's office.

Payment of fines are accepted in the Clerk's Office from 8:30am to 4:30pm

Payment of fines must be made in person or by phone. Payment can be made in cashier checks, money orders, cash or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or Discover). We do not accept checks of any kind.

Note: All fines must be paid in full, unless party appears in court and completes a Payment Request Form. Partial payments will be charged a $5 fee for each continuance payment.


General Rules:

LOCAL RULES OF PRACTICE EAST RIDGE MUNICIPAL COURT TRAFFIC & CRIMINAL HAMILTON COUNTY, TENNESSEE

PROPOSED RULE 1. COURT RULES
1.01 Effective Date May 1, 2023; Abrogation of Former Rules and Orders.
1.02 Applicability.
1.03 Supplement and Suspension.
1.04 Purpose.
1.05 Citation.

PROPOSED RULE 2. COURTROOM SCHEDULE
2.01 Scheduling Hearings
2.02 Dockets
2.03 Extraordinary Circumstances

PROPOSED RULE 3. RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT AND COURTROOM DECORUM
3.01 Rules of Professional Conduct.
3.02 Opening Court. 3.03 Courtroom Space.
3.04 Courtroom Decorum and Procedures.
3.05 Electronic Devices. 3.06 Courtroom Conduct and Attire.
3.07 Courtroom Attorney Conduct.
3.08 Parties, Witnesses, and Spectators while Inside Courtroom.
3.09 Court Officers and Bailiffs.
3.10 Subpoenas.

PROPOSED RULE 4. LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS
4.01 Appointment of Interpreters
4.02 Interpreter Costs
4.03 Cases Involving Interptreter

PROPOSED RULE 5. COURTHOUSE AND COURTROOM SECURITY
5.01 Courthouse Security
5.02 Courtroom Security and Court Clerk
5.03 Judge’s Chambers, Back Corridor, Offices and Other Areas of Courthouse

PROPOSED RULE 6. E-FILING

PROPOSED RULE 7.LOCAL RULES OF PRACTICE PROPOSED 
7.01 Random Assignment of Criminal Case to Specific Courtroom.
7.02 Criminal Court Schedule.
7.03 Appearance in Court by Defendant.
7.04 Defendant’s Failure to Appear in Court.
7.05 Criminal Case Continuances.
7.06 First Request for Continuance.
7.07 Subsequent Request for Continuance.
7.08 Plea Agreements.
7.09 Bail Bond.
7.10 Forfeiture/Property Seizure Warrants.
7.11 Restricted Driver’s License.
7.12 Preliminary Hearings
7.13 Appeals

PROPOSED RULE 8. ORDER ADOPTING REVISED RULES
8.01 Order Adopting Revised Local Rules.

PROPOSED RULE 1. COURT RULES

1.01 EFFECTIVE DATE MAY 1, 2023; ABROGATION OF FORMER RULES AND ORDERS.
As set forth herein, the Local Rules of Practice for East Ridge Municipal Court of Hamilton County, Tennessee are hereby adopted pursuant to the authority of Tenn. Code Ann. §16-15-406 and §16-15-714. All former local rules of practice are hereby void, except as readopted herein. These rules shall be posted at any locations and on all websites where any former local rules of practice have been posted.

1.02 APPLICABILITY. Each rule is applicable to all Municipal Court matters whether traffic or criminal, unless otherwise specified by rule.

1.03 SUPPLEMENT AND SUSPENSION. The Court retains discretion to supplement by Standing Order or to suspend any of these rules for good cause.

1.04 PURPOSE. The purpose of these rules is to facilitate the just determination of every proceeding in the court by securing consistency, simplicity in procedure, impartiality, and fairness in administration, while eliminating unjustifiable expense and delay.

1.05 CITATION. These rules may be cited as East Ridge Municipal Court Local Rules, or “ERMCLR.” 

PROPOSED RULE 2. COURTROOM SCHEDULE

2.01 SCHEDULING HEARINGS
Scheduling hearings shall be done through the office of the Court Clerk.

2.02 DOCKETS.
The Dockets of Court are:
(1) Custody Hearings and Preliminary Hearings commence at 1:30 p.m. every Tuesday.
(2) Traffic Court commences at 3:00 p.m. every Tuesday.
(3) Criminal Court commences at 4:00 p.m. every Tuesday.
(4) Compliance dockets are held at 3:00 p.m.
(5) Bond Forfeiture Hearings are held on the first Tuesday of every month at 2:30 p.m.

2.03 EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES.
If allowed by local or state law, and otherwise allowed by Tennessee Supreme Court Rule, changes to courtroom capacity and the criminal and/or traffic case schedule can be made to accommodate health and/or safety emergencies. These changes include, but are not limited to, the use of virtual or in-person/virtual hybrid hearings. In the event such a hearing is allowed, the following WebEx numbers can be used:
(a) WEBEX VIRTUAL COURTROOM NUMBER: To Be Determined.

PROPOSED RULE 3. RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT AND COURTROOM DECORUM

3.01 RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT.
The ethical standards for the practice and the administration of law in East Ridge Municipal Court shall be governed by the Tennessee Court Rules Annotated, Rules of the Supreme Court, and Rule 8, "Rules of Professional Conduct."

3.02 OPENING COURT.
At the opening of each session of court, everyone shall rise and remain standing until the court officer formally opens court.

3.03 COURTROOM SPACE.
The area within the bar is reserved for attorneys, court personnel, officers, and participants in the case immediately before the Court. All other people shall be seated outside of the bar. Although court is open to the public, the Court may exclude any persons from court if they are found disruptive or as otherwise determined appropriate for the safety of the court.

3.04 COURTROOM DECORUM AND PROCEDURES.
The behavior of all participants, attorneys, witnesses, and spectators shall conform to strict standards of decency, dignity, etiquette, and propriety. Everyone shall remove hats and sunglasses before entering the courtroom. Demonstrations, acts of misconduct, loud talking, or any disruption shall not be permitted inside or outside the courtroom.

3.05 ELECTRONIC DEVICES. While in the courtroom, all electronic and/or cellular devices must be turned off and shall not be utilized by anyone except attorneys and court personnel as necessary. Upon notice to the presiding judge, audio recordings are permitted by attorneys as authorized by Tenn. Code Ann. § 20-9-104.

3.06 COURTROOM CONDUCT AND ATTIRE.
The conduct and attire of all attorneys, defendants, witnesses, court attendants, and any other persons conducting any business with the court shall be professional business attire and shall conform to the professional dignity expected of officers of the court. All persons having matters before the Court, or otherwise in attendance, must be dressed appropriately, which shall exclude hats, flip flops, shorts, halter tops, bare midriffs, seethrough attire, muscle shirts or tank tops, athleticwear, clothing with written or demonstrative obscenity, pornography or profanity. No clothing shall be allowed that exposes undergarments or any intimate body part.

3.07 COURTROOM ATTORNEY CONDUCT.
Attorneys representing litigants must be licensed to practice law in the State of Tennessee pursuant to the Tennessee Court Rules Annotated, Rules of the Supreme Court, Rules 7 & 9, and in good standing with the State Board of Professional Responsibility. Appearances Pro Hac Vice shall be governed by Rule 19 and related rules and regulations. All attorneys shall note their representation on civil warrants summonses, criminal warrants, and citations, and shall appear at the client’s designated court time, unless the attorney notifies the Court of his/her whereabouts. Attorneys shall rise and remain standing, if able, when addressing the Court, making a statement, argument, or objection to the Court or questioning a witness.

3.08 PARTIES, WITNESSES, AND SPECTATORS WHILE INSIDE COURTROOM.
Parties and witnesses to a case shall stand before the bench during any hearing or trial. Spectators may use unoccupied seats on first come, first served basis. Standing will not be permitted in the audience unless absolutely necessary.

3.09 COURT OFFICERS AND BAILIFFS.
The court officer, bailiff, and other officers serving East Ridge Municipal Court shall be responsible for enforcing courtroom rules, procedures and decorum.

3.10 SUBPOENAS.
Unless otherwise ordered by the Court, subpoenas shall be issued not less than seven (7) days prior to the trial date in all civil cases and criminal cases. Unless otherwise ordered by the Court, it is the duty of the respective parties to subpoena their witnesses. Failure of subpoenaed witnesses to appear may be grounds for a continuance and a Show Cause Order may be issued ordering said witnesses to appear on the next court appearance and/or face contempt of court.

PROPSOED RULE 4. LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS

4.01 APPOINTMENT OF INTERPRETERS.
Pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 42, the appointing of a language interpreter is a matter of judicial discretion. If the Court determines that justice requires an interpreter to be appointed, said appointment and scheduling of the interpreter shall be coordinated with the East Ridge Clerk’s Office.

4.02 INTERPRETER COSTS IN CRIMINAL CASES.
Foreign language interpreters will be provided for parties involved during traffic and criminal in court proceedings if sufficient notification is made to the Court Administration Office. The court does not pay for post-adjudication interpretation. Foreign language interpreters are paid by the Administrative Office of the Courts, if the defendant is declared indigent by the Court. In the event the defendant is not declared indigent, interpretation is taxed with the court costs. The Court may exercise its discretion to waive said court costs due to indigency.

4.03 CASES INVOLVING INTERPRETER.
Cases involving an interpreter will be heard at the beginning of the docket provided the interpreter is prepared to move forward.

PROPOSED RULE 5. COURTHOUSE AND COURTROOM SECURITY

5.01 COURTHOUSE SECURITY.
All persons entering the courthouse must proceed through security, are subject to search and must discard any items that security deems reasonable. The Office of the East Ridge Police Department shall enforce these policies and procedures to ensure the integrity and safety of the East Ridge Municipal Court. 

5.02 COURTROOM SECURITY AND COURT CLERK.
Court shall have at least two (2) court officers, one (1) jailer, and one (1) deputy clerk in attendance at all times while court is in session.

5.03 JUDGES’ CHAMBERS, BACK CORRIDOR AND OFFICES, KITCHEN, AND OTHER AREAS OF COURTHOUSE.
In order to ensure safety of judges, officers and all personnel of the Court, the court corridor and offices, are restricted from access to the public and prohibited by any unauthorized persons. All attorneys shall be permitted to meet with incarcerated clients subject to approval and instructions from the Jailer and one attorney at a time, if required by the Jailer. Private attorneys shall be afforded every opportunity to represent their clients zealously and effectively. All attorneys shall be treated equally. If any attorney is permitted to utilize the court corridor and judge’s chambers for plea negotiations or to conduct business of the court, then all attorneys shall be permitted.

PROPOSED RULE 6. E-FILING [RESERVED]

PROPOSED RULE 7. LOCAL RULES OF CRIMINAL PRACTICE

7.01 ASSIGNMENT OF CRIMINAL CASES.
Cases shall be assigned to the law enforcement officer’s date when the officer is needed. Where two or more defendants are co-defendants on a matter, the co-defendants will be assigned to the same date.

7.02 CRIMINAL COURT SCHEDULE.
Unless changed by the presiding judge because of necessity or convenience and except as closed for holidays and as otherwise set forth by Court order, the schedules of the court are:

(a) Preliminary hearings and custody cases commence every Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.
(b) Traffic cases commence every Tuesday at 3:00 p.m.
(c) The criminal docket is held every Tuesday at 4:00 p.m.
(d) The Court may place criminal cases on a Compliance Review Docket after pronouncing judgment, if:

(1) The defendant does not immediately pay into the Court Clerk's Office all fines levied and court costs accessed and due in full;
(2) The defendant has been ordered into treatment, to make restitution, or must complete a program or school as a condition of probation; or
(3) The defendant has been placed on supervised probation.

7.03 APPEARANCE IN COURT BY DEFENDANT. 
All defendants have the duty to:
(a) Know when they are scheduled to appear in Court;
(b) Appear at each hearing, trial setting, subsequent settings, report back dates or as otherwise ordered by the Court;
(c) Be physically present during each hearing or trial unless:

(1) Waived in advance in writing; or
(2) Ordered by the Court; and
(d) Behave in an orderly, dignified manner. Failure to do so may result in the removal of the defendant from the courtroom pursuant to Tenn. R. Crim. P. 43. (e) Persons with matters previously disposed of in court returning to make a payment on fines may do so at any time at the Clerk’s office. Persons who are making payments shall not be required to enter the courtroom.
(f) All persons on the traffic court docket who have not made timely payments or paid their fines and costs in full prior to their court date shall be required to enter the courtroom on their court date for the adjudication, dismissal, or continuance of their case.
(g) Persons with matters on the traffic court docket which are not mandatory court appearances may admit guilt/responsibility and pay their fines and court costs prior to their court date at the Clerk’s office.

7.04 DEFENDANT’S FAILURE TO APPEAR IN COURT.
Failure to appear as set forth above may constitute contempt of court and may constitute a separate criminal offense.

7.05 CRIMINAL CASE CONTINUANCES.
Only a judge may grant continuances. It is the responsibility of the requesting party to notify the other side of said continuance in advance so that witnesses can be notified as soon as possible. Notwithstanding the granting of any continuance, unless good cause is shown for further delay, all cases shall be disposed of within 120 days.

7.06 FIRST REQUEST FOR CONTINUANCE.
The first time a case is set for a preliminary hearing or for trial, it may be continued for good reason within the sound discretion of the judge, upon the State or the defendant’s request in open court, unless excepted by the assigned judge for good cause.

7.07 SUBSEQUENT REQUEST FOR CONTINUANCE.
The second or subsequent time a case is set for a preliminary hearing or for trial, it will be continued only for compelling reasons. The following are NOT deemed compelling reasons, but may be considered within the discretion of the judge:

(a) The client has not paid an attorney’s fee;
(b) The client has not been to see the attorney;
(c) Lack of preparation; and
(d) Any other reason that was previously known or should have been known.

7.08 PLEA AGREEMENTS.
All plea agreements shall be accompanied by a written plea agreement which may consist of the original warrant with the appropriate language reflecting the disposition of the case. All plea agreements shall be signed by the Defendant. This rule shall not apply to class C misdemeanors. Court costs shall not be taxed with dismissals unless ordered by the Court.

7.09 BAIL BOND.
All bail issues shall be in conformity with the “Release from Custody and Bail Reform Act of 1978” and all amendments thereto. Any capias issued pursuant to a forfeiture, either conditional or final, shall remain in effect until the defendant is apprehended and returned to custody and a disposition is made of the case. Bondsmen shall be released from their obligation under the Bail Bond Reform Act pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 40-11-138 and 40-11-130. Specifically, a bondsman shall be released when the defendant’s case is passed

(a) on good behavior;
(b) to pay costs; or
(c) to do public works or community service. Bondsmen shall be released if the defendant has fled to a state that will not extradite or if it is a case in which Tennessee will not proceed with extradition. Bonding companies which are incorporated must be represented by an attorney except as provided by Tenn. Code Ann. §49-11-137(b)(3). Any surrender of a defendant by a bonding company shall be in compliance with Tenn. Code Ann. §40-11-130 through §40-11-137.

7.10 FORFEITURE/PROPERTY SEIZURE WARRANTS.
Pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. §40-33-204, Probable Cause Hearings for the issuance of Forfeiture Property Seizure Warrant will be heard in court and will be recorded, filed and maintained by the Attorney General’s office. A certified copy of the recording shall be made available upon request of any party and shall be admissible as evidence.

7.11 RESTRICTED DRIVER’S LICENSE.
All requests for issuance of a restricted driver’s license shall be heard by the judge. All paperwork and files relating to restricted driver’s licenses shall be maintained in the Criminal Court Clerk’s office.

7.12 PRELIMINARY HEARINGS. Pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. title 40, Chapter 10 and Rule 5.1 of Rules of Criminal Procedure, preliminary hearings will be heard in the Courtroom and will be recorded, filed and maintained by the East Ridge Municipal Court Clerk’s Office and/or District Attorney General’s Office. A certified copy of the recording shall be made available upon request of any party and shall be admissible as evidence.

7.13 No defendant shall be denied the right to file a notice of appeal, and the procedure for appeal shall be governed by the Rules of Criminal Procedure.

PROPOSED RULE 8. ORDER ADOPTING REVISED RULES

8.01 ORDER ADTOPTING REVISED LOCAL RULES.
These revised local rules are hereby adopted, effective May 1, 2023, for the City Court of East Ridge, Tennessee as evidenced by the signature of the judge below. Any future revisions to these rules may be implemented following notice to the local bar and pursuant to state law.

Court Dress Code:

Business casual is the proper attire. Inappropriate attire will result in you being asked to leave the courtroom. YOU WILL BE RESCHEDULED DUE TO INAPPROPRIATE ATTIRE.
  • NO Hats
  • NO Flip Flops
  • NO Clothing That Exposes Midriff or Underwear
  • NO Shorts
  • NO Short Dresses / Rompers / Skirts
  • NO Tank Tops / Muscle Shirts
  • NO Halter Tops, Tube Tops, Strapless Tops, or See Though Tops
  • NO Ripped or Torn Shirts
  • NO Ripped or Torn Jeans
  • NO Sagging Pants That Fall Below The Waist
  • NO Athletic or Workout Clothes
  • NO Clothing That Has Emblems or Wording Prompting Illegal Or Inappropriate Activity, Sex, Drugs, Violence, or Profanity