Mississippi House of Representatives
The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi. According to the state constitution of 1890, it is to comprise no more than 122 members elected for four-year terms. To qualify as a member of the House candidates must be at least 21 years old, a resident of Mississippi for at least four years, and a resident in the district for at least two years. Elections are held the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Mississippi House of Representatives | |
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Mississippi Legislature | |
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Type | |
Type | |
Term limits | None |
History | |
New session started | January 7, 2020 |
Leadership | |
Speaker | |
Speaker pro tempore | |
Minority Leader | |
Structure | |
Seats | 122 |
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Political groups |
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Length of term | 4 years |
Authority | Article IV, Mississippi Constitution |
Salary | $10,000/year + per diem |
Elections | |
Last election | November 5, 2019 (122 seats) |
Next election | November 7, 2023 (122 seats) |
Redistricting | Legislative Control |
Meeting place | |
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House of Representatives Chamber Mississippi State Capitol Jackson, Mississippi | |
Website | |
Mississippi State Legislature |
Membership, qualifications, and apportionment
Article 4, Section 36 of the Mississippi Constitution specifies that the state legislature must meet for 125 days every four years and 90 days in other years. The Mississippi House of Representatives has the authority to determine rules of its own proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and expel a member with a two-thirds vote of its membership.[1] Bills must undergo three readings in each house, unless two-thirds of the house dispenses with the rules.[1] They cannot be amended to a new purpose.[1] Amendments to bills must be approved by both houses.[1]
The governor has the power to veto legislation, but legislators can override the veto with a two-thirds decision.[1] From 1890 to 2020, State representatives were authorized under the Mississippi Constitution to elect the Governor of Mississippi if no candidate had received 62 of the 122 electoral votes (one per district) and more than 50% of the popular vote. This occurred only once, in 1999, when Ronnie Musgrove had the most votes statewide, but was one electoral vote and 2936 votes (0.38%) shy of a majority: Musgrove was elected on the first ballot.
Current Composition
The following composition reflects the balance of power after the 2019 elections, which was the third election since Reconstruction to give a majority of seats in the State House to the Republicans.[2] State representatives are elected every four years by the qualified electors of the district for which they are running.[3] Candidates are required to be at least 21 years of age and a resident of the state and district for which they are campaigning.[4]
40 | 3 | 76 | 3 |
Democratic | I | Republican |
Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) |
Total | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Republican | Independent | Vacant | |||
End of previous legislature (2019) | 44 | 74 | 2 | 120 | 2 | |
Begin 2020-2024 legislature[lower-alpha 1] | 44 | 75 | 3 | 122 | 0 | |
2020–2021[lower-alpha 2] | 76 | 2 | 122 | 0 | ||
November 1, 2021[lower-alpha 3] | 43 | 77 | 122 | 0 | ||
January 13, 2022[lower-alpha 4] | 42 | 3 | 122 | 0 | ||
December 29, 2022[lower-alpha 5] | 41 | 121 | 1 | |||
April 2023[lower-alpha 6][11] | 40 | 120 | 2 | |||
August 27, 2023[lower-alpha 7] | 76 | 119 | 3 | |||
Latest voting share | 33.6% | 63.9% | 2.5% |
List of members
District | Representative | Party | Assumed Office | Residence | Notes |
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1 | Lester Carpenter | Republican | 2008 | Burnsville | |
2 | Nick Bain | Republican | 2012 | Corinth | |
3 | William Tracy Arnold | Republican | 2012 | Booneville | |
4 | Jody Steverson | Republican | 2012 | Ripley | |
5 | John Faulkner | Democratic | 2014 | Holly Springs | |
6 | Dana Criswell | Republican | 2016 | Olive Branch | |
7 | Steve Hopkins | Republican | 2016 | Southaven | |
8 | Trey Lamar | Republican | 2012 | Senatobia | |
9 | Cedric Burnett | Democratic | 2016 | Tunica | |
10 | Brady Williamson | Republican | 2020 | Oxford | |
11 | Lataisha Jackson | Democratic | 2013 | Como | |
12 | Clay Deweese | Republican | 2020 | Oxford | |
13 | Steve Massengill | Republican | 2012 | Hickory Flat | |
14 | Sam Creekmore IV | Republican | 2020 | New Albany | |
15 | Vacant[lower-alpha 7] | Vacant | |||
16 | Rickey W. Thompson | Democratic | 2020 | Shannon | |
17 | Shane Aguirre | Republican | 2016 | Tupelo | |
18 | Jerry Turner | Republican | 2004 | Baldwyn | |
19 | Randy Boyd | Republican | 2012 | Mantachie | |
20 | Chris Brown | Republican | 2012 | Nettleton | |
21 | Donnie Bell | Republican | 2008 | Fulton | |
22 | Jon Ray Lancaster | Republican | 2020 | Houston | |
23 | Perry Van Bailey | Republican | 2023 | Calhoun City | |
24 | Jeff Hale | Republican | 2016 | Nesbit | |
25 | Dan Eubanks | Republican | 2016 | Walls | |
26 | Orlando Paden | Democratic | 2016 | Clarksdale | |
27 | Vacant[lower-alpha 6] | Vacant | |||
28 | Jerry Darnell | Republican | 2020 | Hernando | |
29 | Robert L. Sanders | Democratic | 2021 | Cleveland | |
30 | Tracey Rosebud | Democratic | 2016 | Tutwiler | |
31 | Otis Anthony | Democratic | 2018 | Indianola | |
32 | Solomon Osborne | Democratic | 2019 | Greenwood | |
33 | Thomas Reynolds II | Democratic | 1980 | Charleston | |
34 | Kevin Horan | Republican | 2012 | Grenada | |
35 | Joey Hood | Republican | 2012 | Ackerman | |
36 | Karl Gibbs | Democratic | 2013 | West Point | |
37 | Andy Boyd | Republican | 2022 | Columbus | |
38 | Cheikh Taylor | Democratic | 2017 | Starkville | |
39 | Dana McLean | Republican | 2020 | Columbus | |
40 | Hester Jackson-McCray | Democratic | 2020 | Horn Lake | |
41 | Kabir Karriem | Democratic | 2016 | Columbus | |
42 | Carl Mickens | Democratic | 2016 | Brooksville | |
43 | Rob Roberson | Republican | 2016 | Starkville | |
44 | C. Scott Bounds | Republican | 2004 | Philadelphia | |
45 | Michael Evans | Independent | 2012 | Preston | |
46 | Karl Oliver | Republican | 2016 | Winona | |
47 | Bryant Clark | Democratic | 2004 | Pickens | |
48 | Jason White | Republican | 2012 | West | Speaker pro tempore since 2020 |
49 | Willie Bailey | Democratic | 1995 | Greenville | |
50 | John Hines | Democratic | 2001 | Greenville | |
51 | Rufus Straughter | Democratic | 1996 | Belzoni | |
52 | Bill Kinkade | Republican | 2013 | Byhalia | |
53 | Vince Mangold | Republican | 2016 | Brookhaven | |
54 | Kevin Ford | Republican | 2017 | Vicksburg | |
55 | Oscar Denton | Democratic | 2013 | Vicksburg | |
56 | Philip Gunn | Republican | 2004 | Clinton | Speaker of the House since 2012 |
57 | Edward Blackmon Jr. | Democratic | 1984 | Canton | |
58 | Joel Bomgar | Republican | 2016 | Madison | |
59 | Brent Powell | Republican | 2013 | Brandon | |
60 | Fred Shanks | Republican | 2018 | Brandon | |
61 | Gene Newman | Republican | 2020 | Pearl | |
62 | Thomas Weathersby Sr. | Republican | 1992 | Florence | |
63 | Stephanie Foster | Democratic | 2020 | Jackson | |
64 | Shanda Yates | Independent | 2020 | Jackson | |
65 | Chris Bell | Democratic | 2016 | Jackson | |
66 | De'Keither Stamps | Democratic | 2020 | Jackson | |
67 | Earle S. Banks | Democratic | 1993 | Jackson | |
68 | Zakiya Summers | Democratic | 2020 | Jackson | |
69 | Alyce Clarke | Democratic | 1985 | Jackson | |
70 | Bo Brown | Democratic | 2020 | Jackson | |
71 | Ronnie Crudup Jr. | Democratic | 2019 | Jackson | |
72 | Vacant[lower-alpha 5] | Vacant | |||
73 | Jill Ford | Republican | 2020 | Madison | |
74 | Lee Yancey | Republican | 2020 | Brandon | |
75 | Tom Miles | Democratic | 2012 | Forest | |
76 | Gregory Holloway Sr. | Democratic | 2000 | Hazlehurst | |
77 | Price Wallace | Republican | 2018 | Mendenhall | |
78 | Randy Rushing | Republican | 2012 | Decatur | |
79 | Mark Tullos | Republican | 2016 | Raleigh | |
80 | Omeria Scott | Democratic | 1993 | Laurel | |
81 | Stephen Horne | Republican | 2004 | Meridian | |
82 | Charles Young | Democratic | 2012 | Meridian | |
83 | Billy Adam Calvert | Republican | 2020 | Meridian | |
84 | Troy Smith | Republican | 2020 | Enterprise | |
85 | Jeffery Harness | Democratic | 2018 | Fayette | |
86 | Shane Barnett | Republican | 2016 | Waynesboro | |
87 | Joseph Tubb | Republican | 2020 | Purvis | |
88 | Robin Robinson | Republican | 2020 | Laurel | |
89 | Donnie Scoggin | Republican | 2017 | Ellisville | |
90 | Noah Sanford | Republican | 2017 | Collins | |
91 | Bob Evans | Democratic | 2008 | Monticello | |
92 | Becky Currie | Republican | 2008 | Brookhaven | |
93 | Timmy Ladner | Republican | 2012 | Poplarville | |
94 | Robert Johnson III | Democratic | 2004 | Natchez | Minority leader |
95 | Jay McKnight | Republican | 2020 | Gulfport | |
96 | Angela Cockerham | Independent | 2005 | Magnolia | |
97 | Sam Mims V | Republican | 2004 | McComb | |
98 | Daryl Porter Jr. | Democratic | 2020 | Summit | |
99 | Bill Pigott | Republican | 2008 | Tylertown | |
100 | Ken Morgan | Republican | 2007 | Morgantown | |
101 | Kent McCarty | Republican | 2019 | Hattiesburg | |
102 | Missy McGee | Republican | 2017 | Hattiesburg | |
103 | Percy Watson | Democratic | 1980 | Hattiesburg | |
104 | Larry Byrd | Republican | 2008 | Petal | |
105 | Dale Goodin | Republican | 2020 | Richton | |
106 | Jansen Owen | Republican | 2020 | Poplarville | |
107 | Doug McLeod | Republican | 2012 | Lucedale | |
108 | Stacey Hobgood-Wilkes | Republican | 2017 | Picayune | |
109 | Manly Barton | Republican | 2012 | Moss Point | |
110 | Jeramey Anderson | Democratic | 2013 | Escatawpa | |
111 | Charles Busby | Republican | 2012 | Pascagoula | |
112 | John Read | Republican | 1994 | Gautier | |
113 | Henry Zuber III | Republican | 2000 | Ocean Springs | |
114 | Jeffrey S. Guice | Republican | 2008 | Ocean Springs | |
115 | Randall Patterson | Republican | 2004 | Biloxi | |
116 | Casey Eure | Republican | 2011 | Saucier | |
117 | Kevin Felsher | Republican | 2020 | Biloxi | |
118 | Greg Haney | Republican | 2012 | Gulfport | |
119 | Jeffrey Hulum III | Democratic | 2022 | Gulfport | |
120 | Richard Bennett | Republican | 2008 | Long Beach | |
121 | Carolyn Crawford | Republican | 2012 | Pass Christian | |
122 | Brent Anderson | Republican | 2020 | Bay St. Louis |
Salary and benefits
State representatives earn $23,500 per year.[13]
List of speakers
The House has elected a speaker 61 times since 1817:[14][15]
Name | County/District | Term of service | |
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Thomas Barnes | Claiborne | 1817–1819 |
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Edward Turner | Adam | 1819–1821 |
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Beverly R. Grayson | Adams | 1821–1822 |
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Gerard C. Brandon | Wilkinson | 1822–1823 |
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Cowles Mead | Jefferson | 1823–1827 |
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I. R. Nicholson | Copiah | 1827–1829 |
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C. B. Greene | Adams | 1829–1830 |
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W. L. Sharkey | Warren | 1830–1831 |
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Joseph Dunbar | Jefferson | 1831–1832 |
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M. F. Degrafenreid[16] | Wilkinson | 1832–1833 |
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David Pembel | Adams | 1833–1834 |
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A. L. Bingaman | Adams | 1834–1836 |
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John Irvin | Carroll | 1836–1837 |
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William Vannerson | Lawrence | 1837–1838 |
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J. W. King | Rankin | 1838–1840 |
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Jesse Speight | Lowndes | 1840–1841 |
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James A. Ventress | Wilkinson | 1841–1842 |
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Robert W. Roberts | Scott | 1842–1844 |
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J. L. Totten | Marshall | 1844–1846 |
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James Whitfield | Lowndes | 1846–1848 |
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John J. McRae | Clarke | 1848–1852 |
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William S. Patton | Lauderdale | 1852–1854 |
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Hiram Cassedy | Franklin | 1854–1856 |
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William S. Barry | Lowndes | 1856–1858 |
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James L. Autry | Marshall | 1858–1859 |
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J. A. P. Campbell | Attala | 1859–1861 |
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William A. Lake | Warren | 1861–1862 |
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J. P. Scales | Carroll | 1862–1863 |
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Lock E. Houston | Monroe | 1863–1865 |
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Samuel J. Gholson | Monroe | 1865–1866 |
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F. E. Franklin | Yazoo | 1870 (died during his term as speaker) |
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Henry Waterman Warren | Leake | 1871–1872 |
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John R. Lynch | Adams | 1872–1873 |
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Hugh M. Street | Prentiss | 1873–1874 |
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Isaac D. Shadd | Warren | 1874–1876 |
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Hugh M. Street | Prentiss | 1876–1878 |
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William A. Percy | Washington | 1878–1880 |
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Benjamin F. Johns | Amite | 1880–1882 |
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W. H. H. Tison | Lee | 1882 |
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William M. Inge | Alcorn | 1884–1886 |
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Jacob H. Sharp | Lowndes | 1886–1888 |
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Charles B. Mitchell | Pontotoc | 1888–1890 |
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James S. Madison | Noxubee | 1890–1892 |
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Hugh M. Street | Lauderdale | 1892–1894 |
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J. K. Vardaman | Leflore | 1894–1896 |
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James F. McCool | Attala | 1896–1900 |
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A. J. Russell | Lauderdale | 1900–1902 |
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Emmet Thomas | Washington | 1904–1908 |
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Hugh M. Street | Lauderdale | 1908–1912 |
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Hillrie M. Quin | Hinds | 1912–1916 |
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Mike Conner | Covington | 1916–1924 |
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Thomas L. Bailey | 1924–1936 | |
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Horace Stansel | Sunflower | 1936–1936 |
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Fielding L. Wright | 1936–1940 | |
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Samuel Lumpkin | Lee | 1940–1944 |
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Walter Sillers Jr. | Bolivar | 1944–1966 |
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John R. Junkin | Adams | 1966–1976 |
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Buddie Newman | 1976–1988 | |
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Tim Ford | 18 | 1988–2004 |
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William J. McCoy | 3 | 2004–2012 |
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Philip Gunn | 56 | 2012–Present |
Past composition of the House of Representatives
Notes
- Two members who were elected in November 2019 as Democrats, Kevin Horan and Michael Evans, began their terms as unaffiliated Independents.[5]
- At some point prior to April 2021 Kevin Horan changed his affiliation from Independent to Republican.[6] Exact date unknown.
- Jon Ray Lancaster switched parties from Democratic to Republican.[7]
- Shanda Yates changed her affiliation from Democratic to Independent.[8]
- Debra Gibbs resigned on December 29, 2022 to become a Circuit Court Judge for Hinds County.[9]
- Kenneth Walker announced as Assistant Chief for the Natural Resources Conservation Service for the U.S. Department of Agriculture on March 23, 2023.[10] Exact resignation date unknown.
- Mac Huddleston died on August 27, 2023.[12]
References
- Constitutional Provisions The Legislature And Legislation Rules of Procedure, Mississippi Legislature (accessed May 31, 2013)
- "GOP takes Miss. House for 1st time in years". Boston.Com. November 14, 2011.
- Article 4, Section 34, Mississippi Constitution (accessed May 31, 2013)
- Article 4, Section 41 Archived June 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Mississippi Constitution (accessed May 31, 2013)
- Harrison, Bobby (January 7, 2020). "Two House Democrats become independents as new four-year term begins". Mississippi Today. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- Pettus, Emily (April 22, 2021). "Mississippi governor agrees to expand possibility of parole". Associated Press. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- Harrison, Bobby (November 1, 2021). "Another Democratic defection adds to Republican supermajority in Legislature". Mississippi Today. Nonprofit Mississippi News. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- Pettus, Emily (January 14, 2022). "'Toxic environment, North Jackson lawmaker gives up party affiliation following redistricting vote". wlbt.com. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- Mennefield, Marie. "Two new judges join Hinds County bench". WJTV. Hinds County, Miss.: Nexstar Media Inc. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- "U.S. Department of Agriculture Announces Key Staff Appointments". Washington: U.S. Department of Agriculture. March 23, 2023. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- "House of Representatives 2020-2024". Mississippi Legislature. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- Vance, Taylor (August 27, 2023). "Mac Huddleston, longtime state lawmaker from Pontotoc, dies at 79". Mississippi Today. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- "Comparison of state legislative salaries". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- Rowland, Dunbar (1917). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Department of Archives and History. pp. 187–188.
- https://www.sos.ms.gov/content/documents/ed_pubs/pubs/BlueBook16-20/16%20Historical%20and%20Statistical%20Info%20Section%20707-738.pdf
- https://cite.case.law/tenn/82/385/