Tennessee § 15-1-101 - Legal holidays.

§ 15-1-101. Legal holidays.

January 1; the third Monday in January, “Martin Luther King, Jr. Day”; the third Monday in February, known as “Washington Day”; the last Monday in May, known as “Memorial” or “Decoration Day”; July 4; the first Monday in September, known as “Labor Day”; the second Monday in October, known as “Columbus Day”; November 11, known as “Veterans' Day”; the fourth Thursday in November, known as “Thanksgiving Day”; December 25; and Good Friday; and when any one (1) of these days falls on Sunday, then the following Monday shall be substituted; and when any of these days falls on Saturday, then the preceding Friday shall be substituted; also, all days appointed by the governor or by the president of the United States as days of fasting or thanksgiving, and all days set apart by law for holding county, state, or national elections, throughout this state, are made legal holidays, and the period from twelve o'clock (12:00) noon to twelve o'clock (12:00) midnight of each Saturday which is not a holiday is made a half-holiday, on which holidays and half-holidays all public offices of this state may be closed and business of every character, at the option of the parties in interest of the same, may be suspended. Acts 1889, ch. 63, § 1; 1891, ch. 48, § 1; 1899, ch. 94, § 85; 1899, ch. 156, § 1; 1899, ch. 162, § 1; 1903, ch. 136, § 1; Shan., § 3515; Acts 1917, ch. 86, § 1; 1919, ch. 28, § 1; 1919, ch. 34, § 1; 1921, ch. 73, § 1; mod. Code 1932, § 7520; Acts 1937, ch. 164, § 1; 1937, ch. 169, § 1; mod. C. Supp. 1950, § 7520 (Williams, §§ 7520, 7520.3); impl. am. Acts 1953, ch. 91; impl. am. Act of Congress, June 1, 1954, ch. 250; Acts 1969, ch. 166, § 1; 1973, ch. 23, § 1; modified; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 55-101; Acts 1984, ch. 979, § 1. Compiler's Notes. Acts 1984, ch. 979, §§ 2, 3 provided that the governor choose one or more of the present legal holidays established in this section which shall be deleted upon their designation by the governor, the intent of the 1984 amendment being that the chief executive could select two days in any one year to apply for a two-year period where overall there would be no more than one set aside over a two-year period. The governor chose the election day holiday for the August and November elections. Time-off for voting by state employees is now governed by § 2-1-106 . Cross-References. Business day defined to exclude certain holidays, § 47-18-702 . Days of special observance, title 15, ch. 2. Free sport fishing day, § 70-2-109 . State offices closed on legal holidays, § 4-4-105 . Textbooks. Tennessee Criminal Practice and Procedure (Raybin), § 12.22. Tennessee Jurisprudence, 17 Tenn. Juris., Landlord and Tenant, § 10; 23 Tenn. Juris., Sundays and Holidays, §§ 3, 6. Attorney General Opinions. Holidays on which county offices may be closed, OAG 98-058, 1998 Tenn. AG LEXIS 58 (3/9/98).