{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"WILLIAM \"WILL\" MONK","chatgptsummary":"William Monk's biography shows relevant experience for a General Sessions Judge through over twenty years as an Assistant District Attorney handling criminal and juvenile matters, followed by six months on the bench where he cleared 3,000 cases. The record contains no documented controversies or disciplinary actions. Bio does not indicate prior civil litigation management or specific judicial ethics training.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nWill Monk is the incumbent Washington County General Sessions Judge, Part I, running as a Republican in the Aug. 6, 2026 general election [1]. Monk won the Republican primary over former Johnson City Mayor Steve Darden, 4,492 votes to 3,237 (about 58%) [2].\n\n## Background and education\nMonk holds a J.D. from the University of Memphis and a B.A. in political science and history from King University [1].\n\n## Career\nBefore becoming judge, Monk spent more than 20 years as an Assistant District Attorney in Tennessee's First Judicial District, prosecuting criminal cases and handling juvenile matters, child support enforcement, and mental-health-related cases [1].\n\n## Office history\nMonk was appointed to the General Sessions bench in 2025, succeeding Judge Robert Lincoln [3]. In his first six months on the bench he cleared more than 3,000 cases and has emphasized juvenile and family cases and the court's mental-health treatment program [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Washington County general sessions judge part one candidate: Will Monk \u2014 Johnson City Press](https://johnsoncitypress.com/news/368547/washington-county-general-sessions-judge-part-one-candidate-will-monk/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [Monk defeats Darden, will retain Sessions Judge post \u2014 WJHL](https://www.wjhl.com/news/your-local-election-hq/monk-defeats-darden-will-retain-sessions-judge-post/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [Will Monk tapped to replace Judge Robert Lincoln \u2014 WJHL](https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/will-monk-tapped-to-replace-judge-robert-lincoln/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06","firstname":"WILLIAM","lastname":"MONK","middlename":"\"WILL\"","suffix":null,"token":"u1CaIdr9jD"},"token":"william_will_monk"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"general_sessions_judge","o.office":"general_sessions_judge","office":"general_sessions_judge","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":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":{"retrieved_at":"2026-07-02","title":"Washington County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"http://www.wcecoffice.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Full-Sample-Ballots.pdf"},"title":"General Sessions Judge Part I"}