{"biography":"David \"Hawk\" Allen is one of seven candidates for Criminal Court Judge Division VIII (District 30, unexpired term) on the August 6, 2026 Shelby County ballot [1][2]. The race is non-partisan. He is 49 and lives in Memphis [4].\n\n## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nAllen serves as an Assistant Public Defender in the Direct Representation Unit at the Shelby County Public Defender's Office [3]. DRU attorneys handle misdemeanor and felony cases from General Sessions through grand jury indictment and jury trial, representing indigent clients throughout the process [3].\n\n## Background and education\n\nAllen holds a bachelor's degree in anthropology and creative writing and completed a graduate program in criminal justice before earning his JD from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law [3]. During law school he volunteered pro bono hours toward criminal-record expungement services for Memphis residents [3].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [2026 State and County Sample Ballot \u2014 Shelby County Election Commission](https://www.electionsshelbytn.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2026-State-and-Federal-Primary-and-State-County-Sample-GEN.pdf)\n- [2] [Candidates Certified for August 6, 2026 Election \u2014 Shelby County Election Commission](https://www.electionsshelbytn.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Candidates-Certified-for-August-6-2026-Primary-and-General-Election-Updated-4-14-26.pdf)\n- [3] [HawkAllen.com \u2014 campaign site](https://hawkallen.com/)\n- [4] TN voter registration file, accessed 2026-07-02","campaigns":[{"contest":"criminal_court_judge_division_8_unexpired","county":"Shelby","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"Criminal Court Judge Division 8 (unexpired)"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"David","fullname":"David \"Hawk\" Allen","lastname":"Allen","middlename":"\"Hawk\"","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"criminal_court_judge_division_8_unexpired","contest_title":"Criminal Court Judge Division 8 (unexpired)","county":"Shelby","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":"Shelby","office_key":"criminal_court_div_8","office_title":"Criminal Court Div 8","party":"","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":"shelby","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"criminal_court_judge_division_8_unexpired","contest_title":"Criminal Court Judge Division 8 (unexpired)","county":"Shelby","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":"Shelby","office_key":"criminal_court_div_8","office_title":"Criminal Court Div 8","party":"","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"criminal_court_div_8","office_title":"Criminal Court Div 8","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"terms":[],"token":"8mdqFr27nu"}