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Ruchee Patel
Office history
Current office and 2026 campaign
Ruchee J. Patel is one of seven candidates for Criminal Court Judge Division VIII (District 30, unexpired term) on the August 6, 2026 Shelby County ballot 1. The race is non-partisan. She is 44 and lives in Memphis 5.
Patel is a criminal-defense attorney at Donati Law, PLLC in Memphis and previously practiced under the name 901Law 23. She regularly appears in Shelby County and West Tennessee courts and is admitted to the Tennessee Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit 3. Her practice has included drug-trafficking, firearms, RICO, mail fraud, and white-collar defense 3.
Background and education
Patel holds a BS in marketing from the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville 23. She earned her JD from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 2007 23.
Career
Super Lawyers has named Patel a Rising Star 4. She has been included in the Memphis Bar Association's Leadership Forum and serves on the boards of the Memphis Bar Association, the Tennessee Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and Playhouse on the Square 2.
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 “Patel”, 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 (“Patel”).
Tennessee — statement of interest
- Required for state and local officials and candidates — Tennessee Ethics Commission Conflict of Interest Search. Enter last name “Patel”and, if needed, select the applicable position.