NASHVILLE - Hamilton County Chancellor Jeffrey M. Atherton is among six judges and attorneys who have now been named to serve on the reconstituted Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct, officials announced Tuesday.
Atherton was appointed by the Tennessee Trial Judges Association to represent the Eastern Grand Division under the law, which takes effect July 1.
Republican Gov. Bill Lee recently signed the bill, passed by the General Assembly this session, into law. It made appointment revisions as legislators pushed for more non-attorney or judicial appointments to the board, which investigates and, when when it finds cause, acts on complaints made against judges.
Elected to the 11th Judicial District Chancery Court in 2010, Atherton was re-elected in 2014. Prior to becoming chancellor, Atherton was in private legal practice. A graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, the chancellor is a newcomer to the board.
Under the revised law, four of the Tennessee judicial conferences appoint one or two members to the new board, while the Tennessee Supreme Court appoints one member.
The House and Senate speakers each have four appointments - three non-attorneys and one attorney. Lee gets two appointments who must be attorneys but cannot be former or current judges.
Besides Atherton, other appointments made by judicial conferences and the Supreme Court are:
» Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Camille R. McMullen (Western Grand Division)
Judge McMullen was first appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals in 2008 by then-Gov. Phil Bredesen. She won election to a full term in 2014. She previously served as an assistant district attorney general in Shelby County and as Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. A graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, she was appointed to the board by the Tennessee Supreme Court.
» 18th Judicial District Criminal Court Judge Dee David Gay (Middle Grand Division)
Judge Gay was first elected to the 18th Judicial District Criminal Court in 2006 and was re-elected in 2014. Prior to becoming a judge, Gay was an assistant district attorney for 27 years, mostly in Sumner County. A graduate of the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, the judge is a member of the current board and was appointed by the Tennessee Trial Judges Association.
» Stewart County General Sessions and Juvenile Court Judge G. Andrew Brigham (Middle Grand Division)
Judge Brigham joined the bench as a General Sessions and Juvenile Court judge in 2003. He has been re-elected twice, most recently in 2014. He graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law and is a member of the current board. He was appointed by the Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conference.
» Municipal Court Judge H. Allen Bray (East Grand Division)
Judge Bray has been the sitting municipal judge for the City of Alcoa since 1972 and also maintains a private legal practice in Maryville. A graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, he is a member of the current board. He is an appointee of the Tennessee Municipal Judges Conference.
» Benton County General Sessions and Juvenile Court Judge John Whitworth (West Grand Division)
Judge Whitworth was appointed to the bench in 2009 and won election in 2014. Besides his work in the judiciary, Whitworth also owns and practices at Whitworth Law Firm, in Camden. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law. A member of the current board, he was appointed by the Tennessee Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.
Lee has yet to make his appointments.
Nor has state House Speaker Glen Casada, R-Franklin, who plans to resign the speakership in August amid a scandal over sexually explicit text messages and other controversies. While some critics have objected to Casada being in a position to name members to the Board of Judicial Conduct, he doesn't plan to step down until Aug. 2, while the new judicial board law takes effect July 1.
Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, the Republican Senate speaker from Oak Ridge, also has yet to name anyone to the reconstituted board.
Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550. Follow him on Twitter @AndySher1.