Term: 8 yearsThe Hamilton County General Sessions Courtis one of 95 General Session Courts in Tennessee. There are currently five General Sessions judges in Hamilton County. A General Sessions judge is elected to an eight-year term, must be 30 years old, a resident of Tennessee for five years and a resident of the county for one year. Sessions court judges handle both civil and criminal cases and have authority over preliminary hearings for felony cases and misdemeanor trials if the defendant gives up his right to a grand jury investigation, and trial by jury in a higher court.