Guide
Tennessee Table of Authorities: Rules 27 and 32
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Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 27(a)(2) requires an appellant’s table of authorities: cases alphabetically arranged, statutes and other cited authorities, with the brief pages where they are cited. Rule 27(b) carries that requirement to appellees and other parties. Rule 32 is a different rule: notice to the Attorney General when the validity of a state statute, administrative rule or regulation is questioned in an appeal where the state or an officer or agency is not a party.
Create a Tennessee table of authorities from your PDF, review it and export editable Word output. Tennessee uses standard format, not a Tennessee-specific preset. The official rules were read in the court website’s rendered pages on October 14, 2026.
The table requirement and its reach
“A table of authorities, including cases (alphabetically arranged), statutes and other authorities cited, with references to the pages in the brief where they are cited.” — Tenn. R. App. P. 27(a)(2)
Rule 27(b) requires the appellee and all other parties to conform to the preceding requirements, but permits omission of certain statements and the standard of review when the appellant’s presentation is satisfactory. Those exceptions identify items (3), (4), (5), (6) and 7(B), not item (2). Build the appellee’s table from its own brief, even when it adopts the appellant’s facts or issues.
Rule 27(c) authorizes reply briefs but does not separately repeat the table language. That provision should not be presented as an express reply-table mandate or as a statewide exemption. Check the particular appellate court’s directions for the reply you are filing. Supplemental-authority letters under Rule 27(d) are another document type; they refer to the relevant brief page or oral-argument point rather than replacing a principal brief’s table.
| Question | Rule | Practical consequence |
|---|---|---|
| What belongs in the appellant’s table? | 27(a)(2) | Cited cases, statutes and other authorities; alphabetize cases and supply brief pages. |
| Does the appellee need the table? | 27(b) | Yes: the permitted omissions do not include the table. |
| What makes the citation complete? | 27(h) | Review case title, reporter starting page, pertinent page and year; table generation does not rewrite citations. |
| Where are brief form and word limits? | 30, especially 30(e) | The authorities table is excluded from the word limitation; verify the remainder and certificate separately. |
| When is Attorney General service required? | 32(a)–(b) | If its conditions apply, serve the party’s brief and file proof of service with it. An indexed statute alone is not notice. |
Citation review is more than sorting case names
Rule 27(h) allows Tennessee cases to be cited to the official reporter, the South Western Reporter or both. Cases from other jurisdictions must be cited to the National Reporter System or both the official state reports and that system; when only the National Reporter System citation is used, identify the deciding court. All case citations include the year. The provision also says a bare supra or infra reference is insufficient without referring to the brief page where the complete citation appears.
Those requirements concern citations in the brief. Use complete, recognizable entries in the table and reconcile shortened references with the correct decision. Keep reporter pinpoints distinct from the table’s brief-page column. Footnote uses and authorities outside the argument deserve review too. The table provision does not settle passim usage: explicit brief-page references are the safer navigation choice, without claiming an unverified statewide ban.
Rule 32: indexing a challenged statute is not service
“the party raising such question shall serve a copy of the party’s brief on the Attorney General.” — Rule 32(a), when its stated conditions apply
Read the conditions before applying that quotation. It covers questioning the validity of a Tennessee statute or administrative rule or regulation in an appeal to which the state or an officer or agency is not a party. Rule 32(b) requires proof of service filed with the brief. Subsection (d) explains that, except by court order, the appellate court will not dispose of the appeal until notice and an opportunity to respond have been provided. A correct table cannot perform these procedural tasks. The rule’s commentary separately identifies trial-court notice provisions; this appellate guide does not substitute for checking them.
Build and check an editable Word table
- Export your brief to PDF. Retain its printed page numbers and the matching Word file. References should locate the authority in this brief, not the record or reporter.
- Use standard format. Add the PDF in the Table of Authorities generator and confirm the court and current settings; court detection or samples may override the initial selection.
- Review the results. Check full citations and years, resolve short forms, merge genuine duplicates, add missing authorities and verify every page against the PDF.
- Export editable Word output. PDF-only downloads a table for manual insertion. Matching Word plus text-layer PDF can insert ordinary table text into that Word brief. The DOCX-only route instead creates fields for Word for Windows to build and update.
- Re-export the assembled brief. Inserting front matter can shift pages. Verify final references again and separately check citation style, full-brief formatting, service and any required certificate. The app does not restyle citations or add PDF bookmarks.
Frequently asked
Is Tennessee Rule 32 the formatting rule?
No. Tennessee appellate Rule 32 concerns Attorney General notice when a state statute, administrative rule or regulation’s validity is questioned. Rule 30 governs the form of briefs and other papers.
Does an appellee need a table?
Yes under Rule 27(b). Its exceptions allow omission of certain other components, but do not excuse the authorities table required by 27(a)(2).
Can I omit the year from a case citation?
Rule 27(h) says all case citations include the year of decision. Check the brief and table together; automatic recognition does not cure incomplete citations.
Does the table count toward the word limit?
Rule 30(e) expressly excludes the Table of Authorities, along with other specified components. Calculate the count of included material and provide the required certificate rather than treating the whole document’s count as controlling.
Can I use this rule for a trial-court memorandum?
Not as a verified mandate. This guide is scoped to Tennessee appellate briefs. Trial-court formatting, local rules and notice obligations require their own review.
Official sources and access status
- Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 27Official rendered rule text read October 14, 2026 after static access showed browser validation. The page identifies a December 14, 2021 order effective July 1, 2022 and includes a 2026 advisory comment; these are distinct from our check date.tncourts.gov
- Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 30Official rendered subdivisions (a)–(e) read October 14, 2026; form and word-count exclusions.tncourts.gov
- Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 32Official rendered rule and commentary read October 14, 2026; Attorney General notice, not brief formatting.tncourts.gov
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