← Back to Shelby County, Tennessee: Election on 2026-08-06
Contest for Criminal Court Judge Division 1 (unexpired)
Judicial District 30th Judicial District
general - Non-partisan - Criminal Court Div 1
About this office
A criminal court judge presides over felony criminal cases — pretrial motions, trials, and sentencing under Tennessee law. Decisions are subject to appellate review.
Term length: 8 years.
This role calls for
- Trial-court judge in Tennessee criminal court: presides over felony cases — indictments, pretrial motions, jury trials, sentencing under TCA Title 40.
- Judicial temperament: the willingness to listen, deliberate, and apply the law dispassionately to people whose lives are deeply affected by the outcome.
- Impartiality and ethics under the Tennessee Rules of Judicial Conduct, including disqualification when conflicts arise.
- Working knowledge of the substantive and procedural law applied in the assigned court (cited per court below) and the published precedent that controls.
- Docket management — moving cases efficiently while honoring due process and the time pressures that fall on litigants and witnesses.
- Clear written and oral explanation of rulings, so the parties and the public can follow the reasoning.
Derived from the office's statutory duties and operational reality. Candidate summaries below map each candidate's documented experience to these requirements.
Campaigns
Ray Lepone
👍
👎
🤡
😡
🤷
Ray Lepone's biography shows over twenty-five years as a Shelby County Deputy District Attorney and current service as a Division 1 Criminal Court judge since September 2025, demonstrating direct experience with felony trials and judicial administration in Tennessee. The record contains no documented controversies or disciplinary actions. Bio does not indicate prior legislative experience or independent campaign fundraising experience.
Jahari Dowdy
👍
👎
🤡
😡
🤷
Dowdy practices criminal defense as managing attorney at her Memphis firm, providing direct experience with indictments and pretrial motions relevant to Shelby County’s felony docket. Her office’s proximity to downtown courts suggests familiarity with local procedural logistics. As a 1999 honor graduate of Southern University A&M and 2002 law school graduate, she holds the requisite legal education. Bio does not indicate prior judicial experience, specific knowledge of Tennessee criminal statutes or precedent, demonstrated judicial temperament in ruling on contested matters, or detailed docket management strategies for high-volume felony cases.
Know something about this race we don't?
Submit a contribution →