How long does a judge have to make a decision in the state of Tennessee? He said he would make decision by December 30th 2016

Generally speaking there is no deadline for how long a judge has to make a decision. There are a lot of factors that could go into why it is taking him a while after all most judges do not take custody decisions lightly and want to get them right the first time. Did the judge "leave the proof open"? In other words was there something that one of the parties or their attorneys were supposed to get. For example, in some cases I've had a judge tell me that he wanted me to get documentation that my client's criminal matter had been resolved. I've also had judges tell me and the other attorney that they want a brief on a particular issue before they make their decision. Even if there is nothing outstanding in my neck of the woods the judges work four counties and so hear a ton of cases which sometimes makes it take longer to get a ruling.