←All People
Carlyn Addison
Office history
Current office
Carlyn L. Addison serves as the presiding judge of Shelby County Criminal Court Division 5, which specializes in Intimate Partner Violence cases 12. She was elected on August 4, 2022, and her term runs through September 1, 2030 12. Her chambers are located at 201 Poplar Avenue in Memphis 2.
Background and education
Addison grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, and Memphis, Tennessee 3. She earned her undergraduate degree from Xavier University of Louisiana, majoring in English and minoring in Theology 3. She received her Juris Doctorate from Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana 3.
Career
Addison began her legal career as an Assistant Shelby County Public Defender, handling cases in General Sessions and Criminal Court for seven years 3. Judge Larry Potter subsequently appointed her as Staff Attorney and Environmental Court Referee — a historic appointment, as she became the first African-American to serve as Referee in Environmental Court 3. Beginning in 2015, she served as a Memphis and Shelby County Juvenile Court Magistrate Judge, presiding over cases involving delinquency, truancy, foster care, child abuse, and coparenting matters 34. She was elected to Criminal Court Division 5 in the August 2022 general election 12.
Community involvement
Addison is a member of Pentecostal Temple Church of God in Christ and serves on the Joshua Learning Tree Parent Board 3. She supports the Herb Kosten Foundation, dedicated to pancreatic cancer awareness 3. She holds certification in recognizing and addressing domestic child sex trafficking 3. Addison is a member of the Tennessee Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the Memphis Bar Association, and the National Association of Women Judges 3. She received the 2019 Truancy Champion Award from the International Association of Truancy and Dropout Prevention 3.
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)
-
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 “Addison”, 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 (“Addison”).
Tennessee — statement of interest
- Required for state and local officials and candidates — Tennessee Ethics Commission Conflict of Interest Search. Enter last name “Addison”and, if needed, select the applicable position.