{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Tori Smith","chatgptsummary":"Tori Smith's biography shows current service as a Hamilton County General Sessions Judge since September 2024 and prior leadership within the Public Defender's Office in that same court. These roles demonstrate familiarity with general sessions procedures and courtroom management. The record contains no documented controversies or disciplinary actions. Bio does not indicate experience in civil claims, landlord-tenant matters, or judicial ethics training beyond appointment requirements.","notes":null,"party":"","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nTori Smith currently serves as a judge in Hamilton County General Sessions Court, Division II [2][5]. She was appointed to the bench by the Hamilton County Commission in August 2024, filling the vacancy created when Judge Alex McVeagh moved to Circuit Court [2][4]. Smith was sworn into office on September 9, 2024 [3][5].\n\nSmith announced her candidacy for a full term in the August 2026 special election for General Sessions judge [4]. In her campaign announcement, she pledged to continue serving the community with fairness, humility, and respect [4]. Her campaign states that since her appointment, she has presided with a commitment to ensuring that all who enter her courtroom are treated with dignity [4].\n\n## Background and education\n\nTori Smith\u2019s interest in the legal profession began in childhood after watching an episode of *Saved by the Bell* featuring a character named Jessie Spano who was a judge [1]. She recalls telling her third-grade teacher about this professional aspiration at the time [1].\n\nSpecific details regarding her birthplace, year of birth, upbringing, religion, or formal education are not provided in the available sources.\n\n## Career\n\nTori Smith\u2019s interest in the legal profession began in childhood after watching an episode of *Saved by the Bell* featuring a judge character, which inspired her to share her professional aspirations with a third-grade teacher [1]. She later served as a team leader for the Hamilton County Public Defender's Office in General Sessions Court prior to her appointment to the bench [2][3].\n\nSmith co-founded the non-profit organization Honoring the Sacrifice with her husband, Andrew Smith, after he was injured while serving in Iraq [3].\n\n## Office history\n\nTori Smith served as a team leader for the Hamilton County Public Defender's Office in General Sessions Court prior to her judicial appointment [2]. She also co-founded the non-profit Honoring the Sacrifice with her husband, Andrew Smith, after he was injured in Iraq [3].\n\nIn 2024, the Hamilton County Commission appointed Smith to fill the vacancy on the General Sessions Court for Division II, which had been created when Judge Alex McVeagh moved to Circuit Court [2][4]. The commission selected her with six votes during the second round of balloting [2]. She was sworn in by Judge Gary Starnes and began serving on September 10, 2024 [3][5].\n\nSmith announced her candidacy for a special election to retain the Division II seat in August 2026 [4].\n\n## Family\n\nJudge Smith is married to Andrew Smith [3]. The couple established the non-profit Honoring the Sacrifice after Mr. Smith was injured in Iraq [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [County Judge\u2019s Path to the Bench Made Possible by Native American Tribe | Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts](https://www.tncourts.gov/news/2024/11/06/county-judges-path-bench-made-possible-native-american-tribe)\n[2] [County Commission Chooses Tori Smith As General Sessions Court Judge - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2024/8/28/491539/County-Commission-Chooses-Tori-Smith.aspx)\n[3] [Tori Smith Takes Oath As New General Sessions Court Judge - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2024/9/4/491874/Tori-Smith-Takes-Oath-As-New-General.aspx)\n[4] [Judge Tori Smith Running In August 2026 Special Election - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2025/9/9/508260/Judge-Tori-Smith-Running-In-August-2026.aspx)\n[5] [Judge Victoria \"Tori\" Smith sworn in by Hamilton County Commission | Local News | local3news.com](https://www.local3news.com/local-news/judge-victoria-tori-smith-sworn-in-by-hamilton-county-commission/article_3c60d322-6ae9-11ef-8f31-c3cfa061691a.html)","firstname":"Tori","lastname":"Smith","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"H1tSggSbfg"},"token":"tori_smith"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"general_sessions_judge","o.office":null,"office":"general_sessions_civil_court_judge_div_2","officedescription":"A general-sessions judge presides over a high-volume lower court \u2014 misdemeanors, preliminary felony hearings, small civil claims, and landlord-tenant matters. Many litigants appear without lawyers.","officequalities":"- Judge of a high-volume general-sessions court \u2014 misdemeanors, preliminary felony hearings, small civil claims, and landlord-tenant matters, often with unrepresented parties.\n- Judicial temperament: the willingness to listen, deliberate, and apply the law dispassionately to people whose lives are deeply affected by the outcome.\n- Impartiality and ethics under the Tennessee Rules of Judicial Conduct, including disqualification when conflicts arise.\n- Working knowledge of the substantive and procedural law applied in the court and the precedent that controls.\n- Efficient management of a heavy docket while honoring due process.\n- Accessibility and clarity for the many who appear without counsel.","officeterm":8,"officetitle":"General Sessions Judge","partisan":0,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"General Sessions Court Judge Division 2"}