Thomas Wyatt at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Current assignment
- Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims
- Jurisdiction
- Tennessee · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Thomas Wyatt
Biography
Professional career
- Judge, Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims, Chattanooga, 2014-present
- Retired judge of the Tennessee Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims, serving from 2014 until his planned retirement on June 30, 2026, after more than a decade of judicial service and decades as an attorney
- Judge Wyatt became a workers’ compensation judge on July 1, 2014, joining the original group of judges at the Tennessee Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and his J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1980.
Additional information
- Before joining the court, he practiced law from 1982 to 2014 in personal injury, Social Security disability, and workers’ compensation cases across about 40 Tennessee counties.
- He handled trial cases in the court, which adjudicates disputes over workers’ compensation claims in Tennessee.
- He also served in criminal defense, federal appellate work before the Sixth Circuit, and chaired Hearing Panels for the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility
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 Workers' Compensation Claims
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 June 30, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 2, 2026.
Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims current judicial profile
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 2, 2026
View Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims current judicial profile ↗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 ↗