Terms Used In Tennessee Code > Title 36 > Chapter 5 > Part 4 - Expedited Process for Support

• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Association: means any corporation organized under this chapter. See Tennessee Code 59-13-103
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Child: means a person entitled to support from such person's parents by virtue of such person's minority or who is entitled to support as provided in §. See Tennessee Code 36-5-401
• Child support order: means a support order for a child, including a child who has attained the age of majority under the law of the issuing state or foreign country. See Tennessee Code 36-5-2101
• Coal: means coal and all of its derivatives. See Tennessee Code 59-13-103
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• 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: includes decisional and statutory law and rules and regulations having the force of law. See Tennessee Code 36-5-2101
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Magistrate: means a duly licensed attorney who has been actively engaged in the practice of law for a period of not less than two (2) years appointed by court authority to set and enforce child support, to review the administrative hearing decisions of the department of human services pursuant to §. See Tennessee Code 36-5-401
• Obligor: means an individual, or the estate of a decedent that:
  (A) Owes or is alleged to owe a duty of support. See Tennessee Code 36-5-2101
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Person: means an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, public corporation, government, or governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality, or any other legal or commercial entity. See Tennessee Code 36-5-2101
• Petitioner: means a person or governmental entity seeking to be awarded or to enforce support for a child, or seeking to modify a previous child support order. See Tennessee Code 36-5-401
• Respondent: means a person from whom child support is sought or a person in opposition to modification of a prior order. See Tennessee Code 36-5-401
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• State: means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or insular possession under the jurisdiction of the United States. See Tennessee Code 36-5-2101
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.