Judge Andrew B. Morgan

05/26/2026

On this Memorial Day, we pause to remember.

In these sacred rows, beneath the quiet evening sky, lie the heroes who answered the call and paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Each white headstone tells a story—of courage, duty, and love of country that knew no bounds.

They were sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers. They were Americans who stood between us and danger, who defended liberty not just with words, but with their lives.

Today, we honor their sacrifice with grateful hearts. We remember their names. We teach their stories. And we promise never to take for granted the precious freedoms they secured for us.

May God bless our fallen heroes, their families, and the United States of America.

🇺🇸

05/04/2026

Over the past month, we have carefully reviewed options to address the concerns raised in recent litigation involving the Department of Children Services (DCS). Our priority remains ensuring that every child from Bradley County in foster care receives the attention and support they need.
To strengthen our local response, we are implementing the following measures:

Enhanced Monitoring of Foster Children
Youth Service Officers will be performing checks on every child in foster care. Any concerns identified will result in the case being placed on the next available court docket, and the child will have the opportunity to speak directly with the judge.

New Dedicated Position
Starting in mid-June, we will welcome a new Dependency and Neglect-focused Youth Service Officer. This role will concentrate on cases that do not yet involve DCS, with the goal of providing early intervention and family support services to help prevent children from entering state custody. They will also help monitor the 150+ DCS cases for oversight. They will work with the Court to address all dependency and neglect centered issues.

Expanded Mentorship Program
We are engaging volunteers through our mentorship program to serve as positive role models and supports for parents involved in DCS cases. These volunteers will assist with transportation to visits and court hearings, reducing the burden on caseworkers. More importantly, they will help build trusting, long-term relationships with families that can provide ongoing stability and guidance well beyond the court case.

Volunteer-Supported Supervised Visits
We have requested approval from DCS to train and utilize volunteers to supervise family visits. This will increase visitation opportunities for families while freeing up caseworkers to focus on other high-priority needs and family reunification efforts.

I will be meeting with several regional DCS leaders during the first week of June to finalize details and intend to roll out these initiatives before mid-June.

If you want to help, sign up today to be a mentor. If you’d like to possibly help with supervised visitation, let us know and stay in touch.

We remain committed to continuously identifying and implementing practical, local solutions to improve outcomes for the children and families we serve.

05/01/2026

The Bradley County Family Court would bring to the public’s attention the law regarding reporting of child abuse.

​Tennessee law requires every person to report any suspicion of child abuse or neglect.

​Tenn. Code Ann. § 37-1-403 states that “any person who has knowledge of or is called upon to render aid to any child who is suffering from or has sustained any wound, injury, disability, or physical or mental condition shall report such harm immediately if the harm is of such a nature as to reasonably indicate that it has been caused by brutality, abuse or neglect….” Further, Tenn. Code Ann. § 37-1-605 states that “any person … who knows or has reasonable cause to suspect that a child has been sexually abused shall report such knowledge or suspicion….”

​ The reports may be made to: (1) the Juvenile Court Judge with jurisdiction over the child; (2) the Department of Children’s Services; (3) the Sheriff of the county where the child resides; or (4) the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the municipality where the child resides.

​ The Department of Children’s Services Child Abuse Hotline is: 1-877-237-0004. The Bradley County Sheriff’s Department nonemergency number is 423-728-7311. The Cleveland Police Department’s nonemergency number is 423-476-7511.

​Of course, if the matter is an emergency, please call 911. A failure to report child abuse is a Misdemeanor under both statutes.


With best regards,

Honorable Andrew B. Morgan
Bradley County General Sessions Court, Division I

04/24/2026

04/14/2026

Come out next Thursday and join us at The Greenway Park!

04/01/2026

Around a year ago, we began trying to find someone to take over food service for our kids in detention. We had a tentative agreement in place with the hospital and with them changing hands that ended up falling through. A couple weeks ago we met with Sodexo. They took over food service this week. We have been over the moon with what we’ve been getting! I’m very proud of the improvements we’ve made and continue to make for the kids and families in Bradley County.

Thank you Sodexo and our staff, as well as the Commission and Mayor for working with us on the budget to make this a reality!