(a) The administrative judge or hearing officer shall grant one (1) or more petitions for intervention if:

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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 4-5-310

  • Administrative judge: means an agency member, agency employee or employee or official of the office of the secretary of state, licensed to practice law and authorized by law to conduct contested case proceedings pursuant to §. See Tennessee Code 4-5-102
  • Agency: means each state board, commission, committee, department, officer, or any other unit of state government authorized or required by any statute or constitutional provision to make rules or to determine contested cases. See Tennessee Code 4-5-102
  • Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Hearing officer: means an agency member, agency employee or employee or official of the office of the secretary of state, not licensed to practice law, and authorized by law to conduct a contested case proceeding pursuant to §. See Tennessee Code 4-5-102
  • Order: means an agency action of particular applicability that determines the legal rights, duties, privileges, immunities or other legal interests of a specific person or persons. See Tennessee Code 4-5-102
(1) The petition is submitted in writing to the administrative judge or hearing officer, with copies mailed to all parties named in the notice of the hearing, at least seven (7) days before the hearing;
(2) The petition states facts demonstrating that the petitioner’s legal rights, duties, privileges, immunities or other legal interest may be determined in the proceeding or that the petitioner qualifies as an intervenor under any law; and
(3) The administrative judge or hearing officer determines that the interests of justice and the orderly and prompt conduct of the proceedings shall not be impaired by allowing the intervention.
(b) The agency may grant one (1) or more petitions for intervention at any time, upon determining that the intervention sought is in the interests of justice and shall not impair the orderly and prompt conduct of the proceedings.
(c) If a petitioner qualifies for intervention, the administrative judge or hearing officer may impose conditions upon the intervenor’s participation in the proceedings, either at the time that intervention is granted or at any subsequent time. Conditions may include:

(1) Limiting the intervenor’s participation to designated issues in which the intervenor has a particular interest demonstrated by the petition;
(2) Limiting the intervenor’s use of discovery, cross-examination and other procedures so as to promote the orderly and prompt conduct of the proceedings; and
(3) Requiring two (2) or more intervenors to combine their presentations of evidence and argument, cross-examination, discovery and other participation in the proceedings.
(d) The administrative judge, hearing officer or agency, at least twenty-four (24) hours before the hearing, shall render an order granting or denying each pending petition for intervention, specifying any conditions, and briefly stating the reasons for the order. The administrative judge, hearing officer or agency may modify the order at any time, stating the reasons for the modification. The administrative judge, hearing officer or agency shall promptly give notice of an order granting, denying or modifying intervention to the petitioner for intervention and to all parties.
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