William E. Phillips II at a glance
- Current role
- Court of Appeals Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Tennessee · State
- Judicial service
- Active
William E. Phillips II
Court of Appeals Judge · Tennessee Court of Appeals
Judicial assignments
- Tennessee 3rd Judicial DistrictCircuit Court Judge
Reported in the official 2025–2026 Tennessee Blue Book. Later appointments or departures may not yet appear in this edition.
Source checked October 15, 2026. Roster source
These published assignments do not certify a complete bench.
Biography
Professional career
- judge on the Tennessee Court of Appeals, Eastern Section, having assumed office on March 5, 2026
- Phillips was selected as a Circuit Court Judge for Tennessee’s 3rd Judicial District in 2021, a position he held until his elevation to the Court of Appeals
Education
- UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS Law School 2002
- Phillips earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of the South, Sewanee, and his J.D. from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.
Additional information
- Year Elected/Appointed: 2026
- Phillips is running for retention in the August 6, 2026 election to continue serving on the appellate bench
- He also held the role of city attorney for Church Hill (2017–2022) and Rogersville (2021–2022)
- Before joining the appellate court, he practiced law for 19 years at Phillips & Hale in Rogersville, Tennessee.
- handling intermediate appellate cases.
- He has deep professional and family roots in the Rogersville area, with his father, Bill Phillips, being a longtime local attorney.
- His appointment to the appellate court followed a competitive selection process in which he was initially a finalist alongside other candidates
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 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 ↗