Advisory Commission Comments.

24.01:By statute, persons not made parties to a suit, but who have an interest in the matter at issue, can intervene in the suit as a matter of right in a number of situations (e.g., person interested in property which is subject of a suit to recover property (Tenn. Code Ann. § 20-1-115); person interested in property which is subject of eminent domain proceeding (Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-17-610). Rule 24.01 preserves all statutory rights of intervention, and adds the grounds set out in clauses (2) and (3) of the Rule.

24.02: Rule 24.02 preserves all statutory conditional rights of intervention and adds the right to intervene when the applicant’s claim or defense and the main action have a common question of law or fact. Original parties are protected against undue delay or prejudice by empowering the court to deny intervention where necessary to protect these parties.

24.03: Rule 24.03 establishes a uniform procedure for intervention in all cases. If any prior statute specifies a different procedure, the provisions of the Rule will prevail.

24.04: When a declaratory judgment is sought to declare a statute, ordinance, or franchise of statewide effect unconstitutional, it is necessary to serve the Attorney General with a copy of the proceeding and to afford him or her a chance to be heard (Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-14-107(b)). The object of the statute is to protect the public’s interest in the result of the suit [Cummins v. Shipp, 156 Tenn. 595, 38 S.W.2d 1062 (1928)].

Rule 24.04 extends this protection to actions of any type. If the Attorney General feels that the State’s interest so requires, he or she will be in a position to intervene or take other appropriate action.