TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on May 7, 2026

Former Shelby County General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Gerald Skahan died May 5 at age 61. Skahan, who worked as both a private defense attorney and public defender before taking the bench, was first elected in 2014 and became the first judge to preside over the county’s newly established mental health court. He served until 2022, when Judge Sheila Renfroe was elected to the seat. Skahan earned his law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 1991. After leaving the bench, he served as special assistant for post-conviction litigation in the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Read more in the Daily Memphian