{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nRay Lepone currently serves as a judge for Division 1 of the Shelby County Criminal Court in Tennessee [1]. He was appointed to this unexpired term by Governor Bill Lee in September 2025, filling the seat previously held by Judge Paula Skahan following her retirement [4][10]. Prior to his judicial appointment, Lepone served as a Deputy District Attorney in Shelby County for more than 25 years, rising through the ranks under former District Attorney Amy Weirich and continuing under District Attorney Steve Mulroy during her first term [6][7].\n\nLepone is running for election to retain the Division 1 judgeship in 2026 [5]. He self-describes as a candidate with extensive experience as a prosecutor, judge, and appellate lawyer who earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee [11]. The vacancy for which he is seeking election was created by the retirement of Judge Skahan, leading to an initial appointment process that considered multiple applicants for vacancies in the 30th Judicial District [2][3].\n\n## Background and education\n\nRaymond John Lepone was born in 1956 [1]. He self-describes as a Catholic [11]. He attended the University of Memphis for his undergraduate studies and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Tennessee College of Law [11].\n\n## Career\n\nRay Lepone served as a Deputy District Attorney in Shelby County for more than two decades [6]. He was appointed to this role by District Attorney General Amy Weirich and sworn in during February 2018 [9]. Lepone continued his service in the office under subsequent District Attorneys Amy Weirich and Steve Mulroy [7].\n\nPrior to his appointment as a judge, Lepone worked as an appellate lawyer [11]. He earned his law degree from the University of Memphis [11]. In September 2025, Governor Bill Lee appointed Lepone to fill the vacant seat in Division 1 of the Shelby County Criminal Court, which had previously been held by Judge Paula Skahan following her retirement [4]. Lepone was sworn in as judge later that month [7].\n\n## Office history\n\nRay Lepone served as a Deputy District Attorney in Shelby County, a role for which he was appointed by District Attorney General Amy Weirich and sworn in on February 16, 2018 [9]. He continued in this capacity under District Attorney Steve Mulroy during his first term [7].\n\nIn September 2025, Governor Bill Lee appointed Lepone to fill the vacancy in Criminal Court Division 1 of Shelby County, a seat previously held by Judge Paula Skahan following her retirement [4][7][10]. He was sworn in as judge for this position later that month [7].\n\nLepone is currently running for an unexpired term on the bench of Criminal Court Division 1 [5][11].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\n\nRay Lepone\u2019s legislative record is not documented in the provided sources, as his career has been focused on prosecutorial and judicial roles rather than elected legislative office. During his tenure as a prosecutor, he served as Deputy District Attorney in Shelby County under District Attorney General Amy Weirich and later under Steve Mulroy [7]. He was sworn into this position in February 2018 by Judge Jennifer Nichols [9].\n\nPrior to his appointment to the bench, Lepone did not hold a legislative seat or sponsor bills. In September 2025, Governor Bill Lee appointed him to fill the unexpired term of Criminal Court Division 1, previously held by Judge Paula Skahan following her retirement [4][10]. He was sworn in as judge that same month, with congratulations extended by the Shelby County District Attorney\u2019s Office and the Tennessee Attorney General\u2019s Office [7][8].\n\nLepone is currently seeking election to continue serving on the bench for an unexpired term [11]. The outcome of this upcoming election has not yet occurred as of May 2026 [12].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Raymond John Lepone | Tennessee Administrative Office of the ...](https://www.tncourts.gov/courts/circuit-criminal-chancery-courts/judges/raymond-john-lepone)\n[2] [Commission to Consider Applicants for Two Vacancies in the 30th ...](https://tncourts.gov/press/2025/06/13/commission-consider-applicants-two-vacancies-30th-judicial-district)\n[3] [Shelby County to get two new judges - Daily Memphian](https://dailymemphian.com/article/54590/shelby-county-tennessee-new-judges-circuit-criminal-court)\n[4] [New Shelby County judge appointed to Criminal Court Division 1 ...](https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/local/new-shelby-county-judge-raymond-lepone/522-b565636f-7c3a-4f10-b536-2237e875036e)\n[5] [Ray Lepone is vying for the vacant judgeship in Shelby County ...](https://www.facebook.com/commercialappeal/posts/ray-lepone-is-vying-for-the-vacant-judgeship-in-shelby-county-criminal-court-her/1767993530771403/)\n[6] [Deputy DA Ray Lepone retiring, chief prosecutor Paul Hagerman ...](https://dailymemphian.com/article/37639/shelby-county-deputy-da-ray-lepone-retiring-paul-hagerman-successor)\n[7] [Shelby County District Attorney's Office - Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/ShelbyCountyDA/posts/we-congratulate-ray-lepone-a-longtime-member-of-the-shelby-county-district-attor/1382955933834332/)\n[8] [Tennessee Attorney General's Office's Post - LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tennessee-attorney-general-s-office_former-shelby-county-deputy-da-ray-lepone-activity-7367275566074327041-8IYq)\n[9] [Congratulations to Ray Lepone, who was sworn in as Deputy District ...](https://www.facebook.com/TNDistrictAttorneys/posts/congratulations-to-ray-lepone-who-was-sworn-in-as-deputy-district-attorney-in-sh/956371731180732/)\n[10] [Governor Bill Lee appoints Ray Lepone as Shelby County judge](https://www.facebook.com/sccriminalcourtclerk/posts/governor-bill-lee-has-appointed-ray-lepone-as-judge-of-division-1-of-the-shelby-/1081225557514812/)\n[11] [Judge Ray Lepone on Instagram: \"Hello, Memphis and Shelby ...](https://www.instagram.com/p/DTvwgkUjvTF/)\n[12] [Photo by Judge Ray Lepone (@judgeraylepone) \u00b7 May 14, 2026](https://www.instagram.com/p/DYUsWUBDX0_/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"criminal_court_judge_division_1_unexpired","county":"shelby","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"Criminal Court Judge Division 1 (unexpired)"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Ray","fullname":"Ray Lepone","lastname":"Lepone","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"criminal_court_judge_division_1_unexpired","contest_title":"Criminal Court Judge Division 1 (unexpired)","county":"shelby","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"criminal_court_div_1_district_30","office_title":"Criminal Court Div 1","party":"","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"criminal_court_judge_division_1_unexpired","contest_title":"Criminal Court Judge Division 1 (unexpired)","county":"shelby","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"criminal_court_div_1_district_30","office_title":"Criminal Court Div 1","party":"","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"criminal_court_div_1_district_30","office_title":"Criminal Court Div 1","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Raymond John Lepone was appointed by Gov. Bill Lee to fill the unexpired term of Judge Paula Skahan in Shelby County Criminal Court Division 1.","terms":[],"token":"2CHp5Zo2Zg"}