Steven W. Sword at a glance
- Current role
- Court of Criminal Appeals Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Tennessee · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Steven W. Sword
Court of Criminal Appeals Judge · Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals
Biography
Professional career
- In addition to his civilian legal career, Sword has held the role of a Judge Advocate General (JAG) in the U.S. Army Reserve since 2004, holding the rank of Captain
- Judge on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, Eastern Division, having assumed office on March 24, 2025
- Criminal Court Judge, Sixth Judicial District (2011-2025)
- Before his appellate appointment, Sword held the role of a Knox County Criminal Court Judge for the 6th Judicial District from 2011 to 2025, initially appointed by Governor Bill Haslam.
- Judge Advocate General, United States Army Reserves, Captain, 2004-2014
- Assistant District Attorney, Sixth Judicial District (1995-2011)
- Prior to becoming a judge, he worked as an assistant district attorney in Knox County for 15 years (1995–2011), gaining extensive prosecutorial experience.
Education
- THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE-KNOXVILLE Law School 1995
- Bachelor’s degree from King College in 1992 and his J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1995
- KING UNIVERSITY Undergraduate 1992
Additional information
- Year Elected/Appointed: 2025
- Appointed by Governor Bill Lee to fill the vacancy left by the passing of Judge James C. Witt, Jr., and his appointment was confirmed by the Tennessee General Assembly.
- His roles include Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Knox County Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Initiative, Co-Chair of the Criminal Justice Section of the Knoxville Bar Association, Chaplain of American Legion Post 2, and Lay Leader at Fellowship Evangelical Free Church.
- His current retention election for the Court of Criminal Appeals is part of Tennessee’s judicial retention process
- He is a member of the Knoxville Bar Association and the Tennessee Trial Judges Association, and has been active in community service.
- Sword is registered as a Republican.
- He has previously run unopposed in both primary and general elections for Knox County Criminal Court.
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Recording and broadcasting
Statewide
Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 30 allows media coverage of public judicial proceedings subject to the presiding judge's control and requires written media requests at least two business days before the proceeding unless waived.
Requests by representatives of the media for such coverage must be made in writing to the presiding judge not less than two (2) business days before the proceeding is scheduled to begin.Rule 30: Media Guidelines ↗
Statewide
Tennessee Rule 30 prohibits media coverage of jury selection, jurors, closed proceedings, and certain minor or juvenile-court participants.
Media coverage of jury selection is prohibited.Rule 30: Media Guidelines ↗
Remote appearances
Statewide
Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 55 permits teleconferencing, video conferencing, or other technology for court proceedings at the discretion of the trial or appellate court.
The use of teleconferencing, video conferencing or other technology to conduct court proceedings or other court business remotely is permissible at the discretion of the trial or appellate court.Rule 55: Use of Technology for Court Proceedings ↗
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
Rule 30: Media Guidelines
Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals
Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory.
Official source ↗ · Collected 2026-07-26Sources
Identity source checked July 26, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 2, 2026.
Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster ↗Rule 30: Media Guidelines
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Rule 30: Media Guidelines ↗Rule 55: Use of Technology for Court Proceedings
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Rule 55: Use of Technology for Court Proceedings ↗