{"county":"shelby","description":"","district":"shelby","districtgroup":"county","id":84,"key":"general_sessions_criminal_court_judge_div_7","lastchangeby":null,"name":"Taylor E. Bachelor","next_election":"2022-11-08","notes":"94","officegroup":"general_sessions_criminal_court","partisan":0,"party":"","qualities":"- General-Sessions criminal-court judge: handles misdemeanors, preliminary felony hearings, and bond proceedings \u2014 high volume, with constitutional speedy-process obligations.\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 assigned court (cited per court below) and the published precedent that controls.\n- Docket management \u2014 moving cases efficiently while honoring due process and the time pressures that fall on litigants and witnesses.\n- Clear written and oral explanation of rulings, so the parties and the public can follow the reasoning.","quantity":1,"source":null,"state":"TN","term_end":"2030-09-01","term_start":"2025-03-02","term_years":8,"terms":[{"current":0,"description":"","electiondate":"2022-08-04","name":"Bill Anderson ","person":{"biography":"## Office\n\nBill Anderson Jr. served as the judge presiding over Division 7 of the Shelby County General Sessions Court in Tennessee from September 1, 2010 through March 1, 2025. In the general election held on August 4, 2022, Anderson sought re-election and won, securing another term before his retirement.\n\n## Education\n\nMemphis State University \u2014 BA in Criminal Justice\n\nMemphis State University \u2014 JD\n\n## Retirement (March 2025)\n\nJudge Anderson submitted his retirement letter to Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris in early 2025, with his last day on the bench set for **March 1, 2025**, ending a 14-year career as a Shelby County General Sessions Court judge ([Fox13 Memphis](https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/shelby-county-judge-bill-anderson-frequently-criticized-for-use-of-ror-to-retire/article_42a6fef8-c92d-11ef-93f9-2b06e9e837b9.html), [WREG](https://wreg.com/news/local/shelby-county-judge-retires-following-local-state-complaints/)). In his letter, Anderson wrote: \"At the age of seventy-one, my work is done.\"\n\nThe retirement followed sustained public criticism over his use of release-on-own-recognizance (ROR) bonds, and complaints filed with the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct by Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor. Senator Taylor publicly responded to the retirement announcement, writing that he was \"pleased about Judge Anderson's decision to retire March 1 following my complaints to the Board of Judicial Conduct.\"\n\nThe Shelby County Commission appointed **Taylor E. Bachelor**, a former Shelby County Assistant District Attorney, to fill the seat on February 24, 2025 ([Action News 5](https://www.actionnews5.com/2025/02/24/shelby-co-commissioners-appoint-taylor-bachelor-as-criminal-court-judge-bill-anderson/), [Fox13 Memphis](https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/shelby-county-commissioners-nominate-replacement-for-judge-bill-anderson/article_6ad9bd6c-f302-11ef-a5e3-1f4b6a39535c.html)).\n\n## Controversies\n\n### Reprimand\n\nJudge Anderson was reprimanded by the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct on two occasions. One reprimand stated that he \"publicly expressed animosity\" toward the law governing the bail system while at a Shelby County Commission meeting, and quoted Anderson as saying \"bail bond companies don't do anything except collect money from poor people\" and \"I detest the bail bond system in Shelby County. I detest it across the state.\" ([Local Memphis](https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/local/shelby-county-judge-reprimanded-for-behavior-by-board-of-conduct/522-2100ecd8-ca78-47b9-b3fe-62a6a766b490))\n\n### Shooting suspect released without bond\n\nJudge Anderson released a shooting suspect without bond despite objections by District Attorney Steve Mulroy ([Action News 5](https://www.actionnews5.com/video/2024/08/27/district-attorney-releases-statement-after-railgarten-shooting-suspect-released-without-bond/)). He faced other public complaints about his decisions to release defendants without bail ([WREG](https://wreg.com/news/local/commissioner-calls-for-shelby-co-judge-to-resign-over-release-of-defendants/)).\n\n## Sources\n\n- [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Bill_Anderson_Jr._(Tennessee))\n- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-anderson-39748930/)\n","firstname":"Bill","lastname":"","middlename":"Anderson","token":"F9jjly4JVJ"},"term_end":"2025-03-01","term_start":"2022-09-01"},{"current":1,"description":"Appointed by Shelby County Commission on 2025-02-24 to fill the seat vacated by Judge Bill Anderson Jr.'s retirement; serving the remainder of Anderson's 2022-2030 term. End date subject to possible special election.","electiondate":null,"name":"Taylor E. Bachelor","person":{},"term_end":"2030-09-01","term_start":"2025-03-02"}],"title":"General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Div 7","type":"judicial","url":null,"whenchanged":"2026-04-25 19:49:19"}