I had to look up this story, and it's about as ridiculous as it sounds. This source places the event in 1835, but I believe it's the same incident:

http://southernghoststories.com/the-witch-of-fentress-county

>When Joseph Stout went before Judge Abraham Caruthers, Attorney General John B. McCormick refused to prosecute him. The witch-hunters tried to argue with Judge Caruthers and cited the Statutes of Henry VIII and James I which made witchcraft a felony. The judge shot them down and told them that the statute only applied in England and had no standing in the state of Tennessee.