Mary L. Wagner

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam appointed Mary L. Wagner of Memphis as Circuit Court Judge, Division VII, for the 30th Judicial District on October 24, 2016. Wagner was elected to this judgeship in August 2018.

“With her extensive background in Shelby County, Mary Wagner is well prepared for a seat on the circuit court in the 30th Judicial District,” Haslam said. “We are fortunate to have someone with her experience, and we are pleased to announce this appointment.”

Prior to her appointment Wagner practiced with the Memphis law firm Rice, Amundsen & Caperton PLLC, where she had a general civil litigation practice. While at the firm, she taught at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis from 2012-2014 as an adjunct professor, teaching second-year law students advanced skills in legal writing and oral advocacy and first-year students legal writing, research and analysis.

Before joining Rice, Amundsen & Caperton, Wagner practiced with a regional insurance defense firm. She served as a law clerk from 2009-2010 for Judge Steven Stafford of the Tennessee Court of Appeals, law clerk for Judge Robert L. Childers in the Shelby County Circuit Court from 2008-2009 and worked as an extern in 2008 with the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Western District of Tennessee. Wagner was a research assistant in 2007 for Prof. Andrew McClurg during law school.

Wagner received her law degree from the University of Memphis in 2009 graduating magna cum laude, 4th in her class. While in law school, Wagner served as a Notes Editor for the University of Memphis Law Review. She received a bachelor’s degree in 2006 from the University of Colorado, majoring in political science.

Throughout her career, Wagner has been active in the legal community. She is a member of the Tennessee, Mississippi and Memphis Bar Associations. She serves on various committees and board for these associations. In 2018, Wagner was elected as a Fellow of the Memphis Bar Foundation. Also, in 2018, Wagner was selected as one of the Twelve Most Outstanding Women, Honoring Women in the Judicial System by the Memphis Inter-Denominational Fellowship Inc. Wagner is also active in the Tennessee Judicial Conference, where she served as Secretary and currently serves on the Tennessee Pattern Jury Instruction Committee and Legislation Committee. Wagner is also a member of the Tennessee Trial Judges Association. In 2019, Wagner received the Chancellor Charles A. Round Memorial Award for Outstanding Judge of the Year from the Young Lawyers’ Division of the Memphis Bar Association.

Judge Wagner has also been appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court as special judge for the Tennessee Worker’s Compensation Appeals Panel and as a member of a Three-Judge panel in a constitutional case.