The writ of certiorari may be granted whenever authorized by law, and also in all cases where an inferior tribunal, board, or officer exercising judicial functions has exceeded the jurisdiction conferred, or is acting illegally, when, in the judgment of the court, there is no other plain, speedy, or adequate remedy. This section does not apply to actions governed by the Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure.
Code 1858, § 3123 (deriv. Const. 1834, art. 6, § 10); Shan., § 4853; Code 1932, § 8989; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 27-801; Acts 1981, ch. 449, § 2.
Compiler's Notes. This section may be affected by T.R.A.P. 10.
Cross-References. Certiorari against invalid distress warrant, §67-4-109(b).
Clerk's fees, §8-21-401.
Review of boards and commissions, title 27, ch. 9.
Textbooks. Pritchard on Wills and Administration of Estates (4th ed., Phillips and Robinson), § 363.
Tennessee Jurisprudence, 2 Tenn. Juris., Appeal and Error, § 31; 4 Tenn. Juris., Bail and Recognizance, § 1; 5 Tenn. Juris., Carriers, § 58; 5 Tenn. Juris., Certiorari, §§ 2, 3, 5, 9, 10, 11, 18, 40, 59; 10 Tenn. Juris., Employer and Employee § 5; 8 Tenn. Juris., Criminal Procedure, § 26; 14 Tenn. Juris., Habeas Corpus, § 11; 16 Tenn. Juris., Intoxicating Liquors, § 9; 17 Tenn. Juris., Justices of Peace and General Sessions Courts, §§ 41, 42.
Law Reviews.
Administrative Law — 1954 Tennessee Survey, 7 Vand. L. Rev. 733.
Administrative Law — 1955 Tennessee Survey (Paul H. Sanders), 8 Vand. L. Rev. 940.
Administrative Law — 1961 Tennessee Survey (Val Sanford), 14 Vand. L. Rev. 1115.
An Examination of The Tennessee Law of Administrative Procedure (George Street Boone), 1 Vand. L. Rev. 339.
Appellate Procedure — Ripeness for Review by Appeal or Certiorari, 23 Tenn. L. Rev. 1033.
Constitutional Law — 1954 Tennessee Survey, 7 Vand. L. Rev. 763.
Judicial Review of Administrative Action in Tennessee—Scope of Review, 23 Tenn. L. Rev. 349.
Judicial Review under the Tennessee Uniform Administrative Procedures Act — An Update (Ben H. Cantrell), 13 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 589 (1984).
Methods of Judicial Review over Administrative Actions in Tennessee, 13 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 657 (1984).
Procedure — 1963 Tennessee Survey (William J. Harbison), 17 Vand. L. Rev. 1108.
Procedure and Evidence — 1959 Tennessee Survey (Edmund M. Morgan), 12 Vand. L. Rev. 1281.
Procedure and Evidence — 1961 Tennessee Survey (Edmund M. Morgan), 14 Vand. L. Rev. 1353.
Remedies other than the Tennessee Uniform Administrative Procedures Act “Contested Case” Approach to Dealing with State and Local Governmental Action (John Beasley), 13 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 619 (1984).
Report on Administrative Law to the Tennessee Law Revision Commission, 20 Vand. L. Rev. 777.
Review of Administrative Decisions by Writ of Certiorari in Tennessee (Ben H. Cantrell), 4 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 19.
Tennessee Appellate Procedure and the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act (William J. Harbison), 6 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 291.
Tennessee Criminal Law: An Overview of the Courts and a Compendium of Tennessee Criminal Procedure (Michael R. Tilley), 5 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 90.
The Pre-Hearing Stage of Contested Cases under the Tennessee Uniform Administrative Procedures Act (L. Harold Levinson), 13 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 465 (1984).
The Procedural Details of the Proposed Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure, II. Initiation of An Appeal (John L. Sobieski, Jr.), 46 Tenn. L. Rev. 4.
The Scope of Judicial Review of Administrative Actions in Tennessee (William H. Ewing, Jr.), 2 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 144.
The Tennessee Court System (Frederic S. LeClercq), 8 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 189.
The Tennessee Court System — Chancery Court (Frederic S. Le Clercq), 8 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 281.
The Tennessee Court System — Supreme Court (Frederic S. Le Clercq), 8 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 191.
The Tennessee Department of Revenue and the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act (Mike Norton), 6 Mem. St. U.L. Rev. 303.
The Theoretical Foundations of the Proposed Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure, III. Some Noteworthy Features of the Rules (John L. Sobieski, Jr.), 45 Tenn. L. Rev. 180.
Attorney General Opinions. State's remedies to prevent general sessions court from improperly reducing a criminal offense, OAG 88-80, 1988 Tenn. AG LEXIS 74 (4/7/88).
The statutory writ of certiorari is a process for obtaining judicial review of an inferior tribunal’s decisions, and the writ process itself does not create or constitute any substantive legal cause of action. OAG 15-09, 2015 Tenn. AG LEXIS 10 (2/2/15).