(a) Effective July 1, 1994, the salary for district public defenders shall be an amount equal to eighty-eight percent (88%) of the salary established by law for district attorneys general. Effective July 1, 1995, the salary for district public defenders shall be an amount equal to the salary established by law for district attorneys general. On March 1, 2018, the base salary for district public defenders shall be one hundred fifty-six thousand twenty-four dollars ($156,024) and shall be adjusted on July 1 to reflect the average percentage pay increase provided for state employees by the general appropriations act.

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 8-14-107

  • Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
  • Attorney general: means the attorney general and reporter and any assistant thereto by whatever name known, any district attorney general and any assistant thereto by whatever name called, and any officer or full-time employee of the general assembly or any committee thereof established by statute, who is duly licensed to practice law in Tennessee, whose duty it is to provide facilities for drafting bills or to assist individual legislators in drafting bills or who renders legal advice and services to the members of the general assembly or committees thereof. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Law clerk: Assist judges with research and drafting of opinions.
  • Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
  • Prior service: means service rendered prior to the date of membership in the retirement system for which credit was given under the terms of one (1) or more of the superseded systems as provided in part 6 of this chapter. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
  • Public defender: Represent defendants who can't afford an attorney in criminal matters.
  • Service: means service as a general employee, a teacher, a state police officer, a wildlife officer, a firefighter, a police officer, a state judge, a county judge, an attorney general, a commissioner or a county official which is paid for by an employer, and also includes service for which a former member of the general assembly is entitled to under former §. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
  • State: means the state of Tennessee. See Tennessee Code 8-34-101
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
  • United States: includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b)

(1) A full-time assistant district public defender shall be compensated beginning July 1, 2023, according to the following pay schedule, which must be adjusted on July 1, 2023, and each succeeding July 1, to reflect the average percentage pay increase provided for state employees by the general appropriations act:

Entry level

$63,853

after one (1) year

$67,868

after two (2) years

$71,857

after three (3) years

$75,928

after four (4) years

$79,943

after five (5) years

$83,918

after six (6) years

$87,934

after seven (7) years

$91,977

after eight (8) years

$96,034

after nine (9) years

$100,009

after ten (10) years

$104,038

after eleven (11) years

$108,054

after twelve (12) years

$112,001

after thirteen (13) years

$116,017

after fourteen (14) years

$120,032

after fifteen (15) years

$124,021

after sixteen (16) years

$128,050

after seventeen (17) years

$131,680

after eighteen (18) years

$135,226

after nineteen (19) years

$138,607

after twenty (20) years

$141,823

after twenty-one (21) years

$146,501

after twenty-two (22) years

$151,331

after twenty-three (23) years

$156,299

after twenty-four (24) years

$161,833

after twenty-five (25) years

$167,325
(2) The salary levels for assistant district public defenders shall be increased by such percentage amount as shall be fixed by the general assembly in the general appropriations act. For the purpose of budget preparation, it shall be presumed that such percentage amount shall be the same as that received by other state employees.
(3) The executive director of the Tennessee district public defenders conference shall certify the entry level of compensation awarded to assistant district public defenders based on prior service credits. Subject to the approval of the district public defender, assistant district public defenders shall be entitled to prior service credits as follows:

(A) Any assistant district public defender who has prior experience as an assistant district public defender, an assistant district attorney general, a district public defender, a district attorney general, a criminal investigator for the district public defenders, a criminal investigator for the district attorneys general, a United States attorney, an assistant United States attorney, an assistant attorney general representing the state in criminal litigation, an elected judge of a court with criminal jurisdiction, an attorney who served as a law clerk for an appellate or trial judge of a court with criminal jurisdiction or an attorney who as a commissioned officer worked as a military attorney in the field of criminal defense or criminal prosecution while on full-time active duty in the judge advocate general’s corps of any of the armed services of the United States, shall be eligible to receive year-for-year credit upon the recommendation of the hiring district public defender, and subject to the approval of the executive director of the Tennessee district public defenders conference.
(B) The executive director of the Tennessee district public defenders conference may certify prior service credits for prior practice of law but not exceeding the assistant’s experience as a licensed practicing attorney and, in no case, shall year-for-year credit exceed twelve (12) years.
(4) Implementation of salary increases pursuant to the pay schedule prescribed in subdivision (b)(1) shall be suspended for the fiscal years beginning July 1, 2003, and ending June 30, 2004, and beginning July 1, 2009, and ending June 30, 2010. In the fiscal years beginning July 1, 2004, and July 1, 2010, and in subsequent fiscal years, salary increases pursuant to the pay schedule prescribed in subdivision (b)(1) shall not include time of service between July 1, 2003, and June 30, 2004, nor between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010.
(5) The salary increase provided by subdivision (b)(1), and suspended by subdivision (b)(4) for the period July 1, 2003, through June 30, 2004, shall be reinstated effective July 1, 2017. For purposes of determining the appropriate salary classification for assistant district public defenders, credible service for the time period of July 1, 2003, through June 30, 2004, shall be included.
(6) The salary increase provided by subdivision (b)(1), and suspended by subdivision (b)(4) for the period July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010, is reinstated effective July 1, 2019. For purposes of determining the appropriate salary classification for assistant district public defenders, credible service for the time period of July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010, is included.
(c)

(1) Effective July 1, 2023, all full-time district investigators shall be compensated according to the following pay schedule, which must be adjusted on July 1, 2023, and each succeeding July 1, to reflect the average percentage pay increase provided for state employees by the general appropriations act:

Entry level

$43,180

after two (2) years

$46,471

after four (4) years

$48,944

after six (6) years

$52,444

after eight (8) years

$55,982

after ten (10) years

$59,276

after twelve (12) years

$62,963

after fourteen (14) years

$66,196

after sixteen (16) years

$69,822

after eighteen (18) years

$76,428

after twenty (20) years

$80,532
(2) The salary levels for district investigators shall be increased by such percentage amount as shall be fixed by the general assembly in the general appropriations act. For the purpose of budget preparation, it shall be presumed that such percentage amount shall be the same as that received by other state employees.
(3) The executive director of the district public defenders conference shall certify the level of compensation awarded to district investigators based on prior service credits. Subject to the approval of the district public defender, district investigators are entitled to the same prior service credits as allowed criminal investigators for the district attorneys general in § 8-7-231, as well as relevant experience as a criminal defense investigator.
(4) If a district public defender having a vacant district investigator position appoints a licensed attorney to that position and designates that person to serve as an assistant district public defender, the appointee may, upon recommendation of the appointing district public defender, with approval of the executive committee of the district public defenders conference be compensated as an assistant district public defender as provided for in subsection (b).
(5) Implementation of salary increases pursuant to the pay schedule prescribed in subdivision (c)(1) shall be suspended for the fiscal years beginning July 1, 2003, and ending June 30, 2004, and beginning July 1, 2009, and ending June 30, 2010. In the fiscal years beginning July 1, 2004, and July 1, 2010, and in subsequent fiscal years, salary increases pursuant to the pay schedule prescribed in subdivision (c)(1) shall not include time of service between July 1, 2003, and June 30, 2004, nor between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010.
(6) The salary increase provided by subdivision (c)(1), and suspended by subdivision (c)(5) for the period July 1, 2003, through June 30, 2004, shall be reinstated effective July 1, 2017. For purposes of determining the appropriate salary classification for district public defender investigators, credible service for the time period of July 1, 2003, through June 30, 2004, shall be included.
(7) The salary increase provided by subdivision (c)(1), and suspended by subdivision (c)(5) for the period July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010, is reinstated effective July 1, 2020. For purposes of determining the appropriate salary classification for district public defender investigators, credible service for the time period of July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010, is included.
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