James H. “Jim” Ripley has announced his campaign for chancery court judge of the 4th and 5th Judicial Districts, which cover Sevier, Jefferson, Cocke, Grainger and Blount counties. Ripley, a Republican candidate, has practiced in the 4th and 5th districts since he was licensed in 1983. The Chancery Court has previously appointed Ripley as special master to hear testimony and provide legal opinions in complex legal matters. Ripley is a past president of the Sevier County Bar Association, a TBA member and a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Ripley says he “will bring 38 years’ experience with a focus on integrity, fairness and common sense in the finest tradition of my predecessors” if elected. Read his campaign announcement here.

Lynne Ingram, a former counsel with the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee & the Cumberlands and a former assistant U.S. attorney, has announced her intentions to challenge Davidson County Circuit Court Judge Kelvin Jones for his seat in the 2022 Democratic primary. A 2003 graduate of Western Michigan University’s Cooley Law School, Ingram worked in the U.S. Attorney’s offices in Phoenix and Nashville before a stint in private practice and a year with Legal Aid. She joined the firm of Robinson, Reagan & Young this month, the Nashville Post reports.

Davidson County Criminal Court Presiding Judge Cheryl Blackburn plans to seek re-election to the Division III seat in 2022. Blackburn has served on the court for 24 years. She previously worked for 17 years as an assistant district attorney (ADA) in the Davidson County District Attorney’s Office. While in that role, she became the first female deputy and the first ADA in the state to be certified as a criminal trial specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and the Tennessee CLE Commission. Blackburn began her career as a psychological examiner, appearing in court to testify about forensic evaluations. That experience piqued her interest in the law, leading her to attend and graduate from the Nashville School of Law.

Macon County lawyer Lisa C. Cothron has announced her campaign for the Macon County General Sessions Court. Cothron has practiced law for more than 27 years in the areas of family, juvenile, criminal and probate law. In addition to private practice, she has handled hundreds of appointed cases in juvenile and criminal court. A long-time member of the TBA, Cothron has served on the House of Delegates since 2010, as vice chair of the Juvenile Law Section and as a CLE presenter. She also is a member of the 15th Judicial Bar Association. Cothron earned her law degree from Nashville School of Law.

Blount County General Session judges William Brewer, Kenlyn Foster, Mike Gallegos and Robert Headrick, and Circuit Court judges David Duggan and Tammy Harrington recently announced their candidacies for re-election in 2022. All are Republicans and will run in the May Republican primary. In a joint statement, the judges stated they are proud to serve the people of Blount County and endorse each other’s campaigns.

Former Chattanooga judge Rebecca Stern yesterday announced she has entered the race for Hamilton County Criminal Court, a position she previously held for 17 years, the Chattanoogan reports. Stern retired from the bench in 2015 and opened a criminal defense law practice in Chattanooga one year later, noting that she was “ready to return to work.” She began her legal career at Strang, Fletcher, Carriger, Walker, Hodge & Smith and later worked as a prosecutor at the Hamilton County District Attorney General’s Office, where she focused on child abuse and domestic violence cases. Stern began presiding over criminal court cases in 1997, continuing to hear cases after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. She continued to work through surgery and treatments, but says her decision to retire in 2015 was made to prioritize her health. During her time as judge, Stern presided over the successful Hamilton County Recovery Court. She seeks to fill the seat that will soon be vacated by Judge Don Poole.

Nashville attorney Danielle Nellis has announced that she will run for Nashville district attorney, Axios Nashville reports. Nellis worked as a prosecutor in current Nashville DA Glenn Funk’s office and says her time there taught her "how crime impacts victims and families involved on all sides, as well as how the community at large is impacted." She resigned from the position in 2018 after it was revealed that she had applied for the job of a man she was prosecuting. Funk alerted the Board of Professional Responsibility to the issue, but the board found no ethical issues with Nellis’ actions. A Boston University School of Law graduate, Nellis spent two years clerking for Judge Angelita Blackshear Dalton and recently joined the firm of Klein Solomon Mills. Nellis is the first to challenge Funk for his position since his election in 2014.

Hendersonville attorney Russ Edwards has announced he is running for Sumner County General Sessions Court judge on the Republican ticket. Edwards practices civil and criminal law at Hendersonville’s Edwards & Edwards law firm. He has previously taught criminal justice as an adjunct professor at Volunteer State Community College and has coached Gallatin High School’s mock trial team. According to a press release from his campaign, Edwards prioritizes public safety. “My duty as judge will be to ensure that we preserve the safety of our community in which our citizens live, work, play and raise their families.” 

The Knox County Commission will set a plan in motion on Oct. 25 to appoint a successor to retiring Sessions Court Judge Geoffrey Emery, Georgia Vines writes in the Knoxnews reports. The individual selected will serve until a new judge is elected in 2022. Several candidates already have filed reports with the county election commission to start fundraising to run for the seat next year. They are former Knox County GOP chair and sitting magistrate Ray Jenkins; assistant district attorney Judd Davis; Republican Sharon Frankenberg; and assistant district attorney Sarah Keith.

Maryville attorney Nick Black has launched a campaign to serve as chancellor of the 4th and 5th Judicial Districts which cover Grainger, Cocke, Jefferson, Sevier and Blount counties, The Daily Times reports. Black is president of the Blount County Bar Association and an alum of the University of Tennessee College of Law. He seeks to fill the position made vacant by the retirement of longtime 4th and 5th Judicial District Chancellor Telford Forgety Jr., who has served on the bench since 1997. “I want people to find me to be a reasonable person with the temperament to fairly and impartially adjudicate any case,” Black said.