Jacksboro resident and Knoxville attorney Zack Walden has announced his candidacy for Eighth Judicial District Criminal Court judge, WLAF News reports. The seat is currently held by Judge E. Shayne Sexton, who is retiring this summer. Walden is former chair of the Campbell County Republican Party and is an attorney with Eldridge & Blakney in Knoxville, where he focuses his practice on complex criminal litigation. He is an active member of the Knoxville Bar Association and the Barristers, receiving the group's President’s Award for his commitment to civics education. He is also active in the TBA and its Young Lawyers Division, serving as chair of the High School Mock Trial Committee. His vision for the court includes expanding the existing Recovery Court to specifically serve veterans and continuing to fight the scourge of opioids in the area. The Eighth District covers Campbell, Claiborne, Fentress, Scott and Union counties.

Lists of candidates who qualified to run in upcoming primary elections have been released in Williamson and Wilson counties. In Williamson County, incumbent County Clerk Jeff Whidby will face off against retiring Rep. Glen Casada in the Republican primary and Andrew D. Becker and Deborah C. Sparks will appear on ballots in the Democratic primary. Current 21st Judicial District Circuit Court judges Deanna Johnson, Michael W. Binkley and Joseph "Woody" Woodruff are seeking reelection and will be joined in the Republican primary by Shane K. McNeill and Deana C. Hood. Read more from Community Impact Newspaper. In Wilson County, 63 qualified for local offices in the Republican primary, one for the Democratic primary and 16 for the independent primary. All those running for judgeships and district attorney are unopposed. The Tennessean has the full list of candidates.

Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Mark Fishburn has confirmed that he will retire at the end of his term after nearly 25 years on the bench, the Tennessean reports. "It has been the most difficult decision I have ever made as a judge," he wrote in a letter this week. After serving General Sessions court in 1998, Fishburn was appointed by former Gov. Phil Bredesen to be the first presiding judge of Division VI of the criminal court in 2003. Prior to his appointment, Fishburn spent 18 years as a defense attorney. Earlier this month, he presided over the mass murder trial of Travis Reinking, who was found guilty of killing four people at a Waffle House in 2018.  "At least in my case, retirement is not the end of the road, but simply a turn in my travels down that road," Fishburn wrote.

Rep. Mike Stewart, D-Nashville, today announced he will not seek reelection in the state House, the Tennessean reports. Stewart, who has represented southeast Davidson County’s District 52 since 2008, made the announcement in a video on the Tennessee Holler’s Facebook page. Stewart said he plans to devote his time to election issues in the upcoming midterms and beyond, but gave no further details on his future plans other than to say he would likely run for office again “at some point.” He closed by saying he planned to “continue fighting for you, as well as the rest of the country, in my new role.”

Davidson County’s qualifying deadline for judicial and other local races passed today, revealing that Criminal Court Judge Mark Fishburn did not return a petition, the Nashville Post reports. Several candidates quickly entered the race in Fishburn’s absence, including former judge and ex-Metro Council member Nick Leonardo, Nashville lawyer Cynthia Chappell, Brian Griffith, Tillman Payne and Seth Norman. Marcus Shute, who had previously filed to run for a seat in General Sessions, also switched over to the race. General Sessions Judge Rachel Bell also picked up a challenger. Erin Coleman, who made an unsuccessful bid for state Senate in 2016, will be running for Bell’s seat. An official list of all the candidates should be available soon.

The filing deadline in Hamilton County passed at noon today, resulting in several contested judicial primaries and a contested primary in the race for district attorney. Mike Dumitru and Jim Exum have qualified for the Republican primary in Circuit Court Division 2; Amanda Dunn, Boyd Patterson and Rebecca J. Stern are set to run in the Republican primary for Criminal Court Division 3; and Brian Bush will challenge incumbent Judge Sherry Paty for Division 1 City Court Judge. Republican candidates for Hamilton County District Attorney are Coty Wamp and Neal Pinkston. Read the full list of qualified candidates from the Chattanoogan.

Murfreesboro attorney Wayne Irvin has announced his candidacy for Rutherford County Commission District 14, the Murfreesboro Post reports. He maintains a law and accounting practice that focuses on tax, transactions and estate planning. He previously served as a senior assistant attorney general in the office of the Tennessee Attorney General focused on utility rate cases. He is active in the Federalist Society and the Rutherford and Cannon County Bar Association. Irvin says he will focus on increasing transparency in local government, supporting economic and workforce development, and working to improve infrastructure in the county.

Natasha Brooks, who runs The Brooks Academy — a Christian educational consulting firm for homeschool families — has entered the Republican primary for the recently redrawn Fifth Congressional District. She recently sat down with the Tennessee Star to talk about her experience and goals for office. Before incumbent Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper announced he would not run for reelection, Brooks was actively campaigning against him. Brooks says her focus will be on improving education, increasing awareness about mental health issues, supporting trade schools, increasing funding for adoption and foster care services and supporting the trucking and mining industries. Learn more about her campaign.

A new legislative proposal from Tennessee state Sen. Frank Niceley, R-Strawberry Plains, would require candidates in primary races for congressional seats to meet residency and other requirements, Axios reports. The current text of the bill requires candidates to have voted in three state elections, but Niceley says he plans to change that to three years of residency. He says the bill is designed to "protect Tennessee from invasion." The proposal seems to be a direct response to the state’s redrawn 5th Congressional District, where a competitive Republican primary is developing. Two of the candidates, Morgan Ortagus and Robby Starbuck, are recent transplants to the state. Niceley says federal rules prevent the state from regulating the general election but that primaries can have stricter requirements. The bill is up for a vote today in a Senate committee.

Rep. London Lamar, D-Memphis, on Friday pulled a nominating petition for Senate District 33, a seat previously held by Sen. Katrina Robinson, the Commercial Appeal reports. Robinson was expelled earlier this month following her conviction on two counts of wire fraud. Lamar, who also pulled papers to keep her current seat in House District 91, has until April 7 to decide which petition to file. "I have not made a decision but I am considering both of my options ... I am trying to make the best decision for me, my constituency and my family," Lamar told the Commercial Appeal Monday.