← Back to Shelby County, Tennessee: Election on 2026-08-06
Contest for General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Division 7
County
general - Non-partisan - General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Div 7
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
- General-Sessions criminal-court judge: handles misdemeanors, preliminary felony hearings, and bond proceedings — high volume, with constitutional speedy-process obligations.
- 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
Serena Gray
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Serena Gray's two-decade career in Shelby County includes work as an assistant public defender and current service as a Magistrate handling misdemeanors, preliminary hearings, and traffic tickets. This background demonstrates direct experience with criminal court procedures and docket management relevant to the General Sessions Criminal Court Judge role. Bio does not indicate prior judicial rulings or specific appellate experience.
Taylor Eskridge Bachelor
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Taylor E Bachelor's biography shows sixteen years of legal experience in state and federal prosecution and defense, alongside current service as a General Sessions Criminal Court Judge handling criminal cases since February 2025. The record contains no documented controversies or disciplinary actions. Bio does not indicate prior elected office experience or specific judicial rulings on complex constitutional speedy-process obligations.
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