Tenn. Code Ann. § 17-2-102: Incompetency of supreme court judges

The judges of the supreme court, within the first week of each term, or as soon thereafter as the fact comes to their knowledge, shall certify to the governor all cases upon the docket in which any of them are incompetent to sit, upon the receipt of which certificate the governor shall appoint and commission the requisite number of competent lawyers to dispose of the causes.