TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Jul 13, 2026

Former Hamilton County Circuit Court Clerk Judith Pitts Medearis has died. A lifelong county resident, Medearis graduated from Tennessee Wesleyan College and began her career in 1961 as a deputy clerk in the Circuit Court Clerk's Office. She was promoted to acting chief deputy in 1969, and later became chief deputy before being elected circuit court clerk in 1978. She served 14 years in the position. Medearis retired in 2002 after 38 years of service to the county. During her tenure, she introduced the state's first call-in system for jurors to determine whether they needed to report for service, a model later adopted by other counties. She also implemented a new filing system to improve case retrieval and oversaw the office's transition to a fully automated system to accommodate growing caseloads. Visitation will be held July 16 from 4 to 8 p.m. EDT at Williamson & Sons Funeral Home in Soddy Daisy. A private graveside service for immediate family will be held July 18 at Hamilton Memorial Gardens.