What is your background?

I have been a Conservative Christian Republican for over 32 years.  I have a deep commitment for honesty and integrity at all costs.  I am a lifelong Tennessee native, born and raised in Memphis, working summers with my grandfather on his farm in Henderson County.  I worked hard and paid my own way through college and law school.  I have a BA degree in Christian Education from Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi and my law degree from UT Law School in Knoxville.  My wife (Amy) and I married in 1986 and we have lived and worked in East Tennessee ever since.  I am a member of Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church and have taught adult Sunday School Classes and home Bible Studies for over 20 years.  I have a deep desire for helping children and I have been involved with Young Life, a Christian outreach for high school students for over 32 years, and I have served as Chairman of the Loudon County Foster Care Review Board for three years.  I have coached and been a referee for youth sports for over 30 years.  I have been the Greenback City Attorney since 1996.

What are your qualifications for this position?

I have the most Judicial related experience of any candidate.  I am the only candidate who has worked for two Federal Judges for three years, attending trials with them, researching the law, and writing their orders and case opinions.  I am the only candidate who has been Substitute Judge for both the Loudon County General Sessions Court, as well as the Lenoir City Court.  My Legal trial experience covers all areas of General Sessions Court jurisdiction - Juvenile, Probate, Criminal, Domestic and Civil law.  I have over 25 years of legal experience and training primarily as a trial lawyer covering most every county in East Tennessee.  I have extensive trial experience in all Tennessee Courts from General Sessions Court, Circuit Court, Chancery Court, Criminal Court, Tennessee Court of Appeals, and the Tennessee Supreme Court.  I also have trial experience in Federal District Court, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and have attended sessions before the United States Supreme Court.  I am committed to hard work and deciding all cases with impartial justice for everyone.

What do you believe is the most pressing problem facing the office you are seeking and how would you propose that problem be solved?

I believe the most pressing problem facing General Sessions Court Judge is the same as it is for any Judge's position - Keeping a continual commitment to Impartial Justice for Everyone and having the Moral Honesty and Integrity to follow through on that commitment.  The solution is to enforce laws as they are written - every day, every case, for everybody.  The solution is easy only if the Judge is committed to honesty and integrity and his/her actions in the past demonstrate that commitment.  In the final analysis, the voter has the ultimate decision on whether a judicial candidate has a dependable, proven record of honesty and integrity, and whether they can be trusted to dispense justice impartially.