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Bill Anderson
Office history
Office
Bill Anderson Jr. served as the judge presiding over Division 7 of the Shelby County General Sessions Court in Tennessee from September 1, 2010 through March 1, 2025. In the general election held on August 4, 2022, Anderson sought re-election and won, securing another term before his retirement.
Education
Memphis State University — BA in Criminal Justice
Memphis State University — JD
Retirement (March 2025)
Judge Anderson submitted his retirement letter to Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris in early 2025, with his last day on the bench set for March 1, 2025, ending a 14-year career as a Shelby County General Sessions Court judge (Fox13 Memphis, WREG). In his letter, Anderson wrote: "At the age of seventy-one, my work is done."
The retirement followed sustained public criticism over his use of release-on-own-recognizance (ROR) bonds, and complaints filed with the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct by Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor. Senator Taylor publicly responded to the retirement announcement, writing that he was "pleased about Judge Anderson's decision to retire March 1 following my complaints to the Board of Judicial Conduct."
The Shelby County Commission appointed Taylor E. Bachelor, a former Shelby County Assistant District Attorney, to fill the seat on February 24, 2025 (Action News 5, Fox13 Memphis).
Controversies
Reprimand
Judge Anderson was reprimanded by the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct on two occasions. One reprimand stated that he "publicly expressed animosity" toward the law governing the bail system while at a Shelby County Commission meeting, and quoted Anderson as saying "bail bond companies don't do anything except collect money from poor people" and "I detest the bail bond system in Shelby County. I detest it across the state." (Local Memphis)
Shooting suspect released without bond
Judge Anderson released a shooting suspect without bond despite objections by District Attorney Steve Mulroy (Action News 5). He faced other public complaints about his decisions to release defendants without bail (WREG).
Sources
Public filings
Candidates and officeholders are required by law to file campaign finance reports and statements of economic interest. The sites below don't support direct links to an individual record — search by last name on each.
Tennessee — campaign finance (search)
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State offices (Governor, TN Senate, TN House, State Executive Committee, statewide judiciary) —
Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.
Click Search for Candidates and PACs, enter last name, and submit.
US House, US Senate, and Presidential candidates file with the FEC — see the federal section below. - County and municipal offices (County Mayor, Commissioner, Sheriff, School Board, court clerks, municipal alderman, etc.) — most major TN counties use the EasyVote portal. Select the relevant county and search by candidate name.
Tennessee — statement of interest
- Required for state and local officials and candidates — Tennessee Ethics Commission Conflict of Interest Search. Enter last nameand, if needed, select the applicable position.