Tennessee Code Title 16. Courts § 16-15-202

(a) The judges of the court of general sessions shall be elected at the general August election each eight (8) years. They shall hold office for the term for which they are elected or until their successors are elected and qualified. Notwithstanding any other provision of private act or general law to the contrary, the term of office of any general sessions judge whose base salary is set by [former] § 16-15-205 [repealed] or whose salary is adjusted during such term of office by the method provided by [former] § 16-15-205 [repealed] or by the method established by § 8-23-103, shall be eight (8) years.

(b) Notwithstanding § 2-13-203, or any other provisions of a private act or general law to the contrary, in any county with more than one (1) judge of the court of general sessions, and where the most recent of private acts creating the judgeships provide for the nonpartisan election of the additional judges, then at subsequent regular August elections all judges of such court shall be elected on a nonpartisan basis.