TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Mar 21, 2022

Shelley T. Gardner has announced her candidacy for reelection as 15th Judicial District public defender, Wilson Post reports. A Wilson County native, Gardner earned her law degree from the Nashville School of Law in 2001. She joined the office in 2002, and in 2018, Gov. Bill Haslam named her public defender. Gardner’s campaign says she has handled more than 15,000 criminal cases in all five counties in the district and served as a member of the district’s Judicial Drug Court team since 2002. In other roles, Gardner serves as vice president and president-elect for the Tennessee District Public Defender’s Conference, and as a board member for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).