Judge Ana L. Escobar | Bart Pickett

it came time to find a job her second summer, Escobar remembers looking at the jobs bulletin board and seeing a flyer for a summer intern at the Nashville PD’s office with preference given to Spanish speakers. Escobar took this flyer as a divine sign and ended up with the job. During that summer, she fell in love with criminal law and gave up on a future of lobbying.

of the 3 domestic violence (“DV”) General Sessions judges. She hears DV cases 8 months a year. The remaining 4 months is spent hearing other criminal and civil cases. In her role, Escobar also heads up the Cherished Hearts Court which is for human trafficking survivors and focuses on treatment.

A lot has changed in Nashville since Judge Ana Escobar moved here 40+ years ago, when no Hispanic community existed. Her name, which would traditionally be pronounced as “Ana,” quickly became the Southern “Anna.” Escobar, Tennessee’s first Latinx judge, was born in Bogota, Colombia. Her parents came to the US when Escobar was 6 months old for her father to study anesthesiology. After 2 years in Providence, Rhode Island, Escobar’s family came to Nashville for her father’s residency at Vanderbilt University. Her mother worked as a cytologist (one who detects cancer in cells).

Escobar is a proud graduate of St. Cecilia Academy here in Nashville. While there, she helped start the first Youth in Government. She was also the Salutatorian of her class of 31 girls. Choosing to stick around Nashville, Escobar was accepted to Vanderbilt through early admission. She double majored in Political Science and English. She participated in the Speakers’ Bureau, Student Government, and College Democrats.

Escobar enjoyed studying government and chose to head to law school to become a lobbyist. Due to that, she chose to move to D.C. to attend law school at The George Washington University in 1992. When

Escobar landed a job at the PD’s office following graduation. While her employer changed a few times including stints at the DA’s office and a private defense firm, Escobar stayed in the criminal law realm for many years. She even ran her own defense practice for 10 years.

In 2011, Escobar took a break from the legal world. Mayor Karl Dean, her former employer at the PD’s office, picked her to become the Metropolitan Clerk, making her the first Hispanic female Metro department head. In that role she served as the official records-keeper for Metro. During that time, she also started My City Academy which empowers New Americans to understand and participate in Nashville’s government.

Wanting to get back into the legal sphere, Escobar agreed to become the Deputy Director of the AOC when her friend Bill Young asked her in 2013. As Deputy Director, Escobar helped judges and courts across the whole state. When Young took a judicial appointment, Escobar left to rejoin the DA’s office to head up the domestic violence unit in 2015. She stayed at the DA’s office until 2018, when she decided to run for judge of General Sessions, Division III. She won that position and was re-elected to a full term in 2022.

In her current role, Escobar is one

While some have criticized Escobar for her varied job history, she has no regrets. “Every job has prepared me for my role as a judge and I’m not just being dramatic,” she laughs.

To know Escobar is to know she has a true servant’s heart. She loves to spend her time volunteering and serving her community. There are not many boards or organizations that she has not helped. She has served on the TN Judicial Nominating Committee as well as the Davidson County Election Commission, Planning Commission, and Board of Equalization. She is currently serving her second stint on the NBA Board and helped found the new Hispanic Bar Association. She also started a foundation, Wings, that provides support for the Cherished Hearts Court.

Escobar and her son Connor (16) live in Brentwood (Davidson County side) with their tuxedo cats, Mary Kate and Ashley. Escobar attends St. Edwards Church. n criminal cases originate by arrest warrant and are then channeled through the General Sessions Court. For defendants whose cases are not resolved, they either participate in or waive a preliminary hearing. If not waived and if a magistrate determines upon hearing that probable cause exists, a defendant’s case is “bound over” to the Grand Jury. It then makes its findings and returns either a True Bill of Indictment or, the far less frequent No True Bill, if it does not find that further prosecution is warranted. and well-reasoned suggestions for a safer, healthier and better educated community.

BART PICKETT was recently appointed as the State Trial Court Administrator for the Twentieth Judicial District where he oversees the operations of the 18 State Trial Courts. Prior to that, he practiced as a trial attorney for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company.

The Grand Jury serves a vital function in the justice system by ensuring that before an accused is prosecuted in criminal court the prosecution’s case is vetted by a panel of jurors chosen from a venire that fairly reflects the Davidson County citizenry.

The Nashville Bar Journal is the Nashville Bar Association’s official bi-monthly magazine—published exclusively for NBA members—that

A lot has changed in Nashville since Judge Ana Escobar moved here 40+ years ago, when no Hispanic community existed. Her name, which would traditionally be pronounced as “Ana,” quickly became the Southern “Anna.” Escobar, Tennessee’s first Latinx judge, was born in Bogota, Colombia. Her parents came to the US when Escobar was 6 months old for her father to study anesthesiology. After 2 years in Providence, Rhode Island, Escobar’s family came to Nashville for her father’s residency at Vanderbilt University. Her mother worked as a cytologist (one who detects cancer in cells).

Escobar is a proud graduate of St. Cecilia Academy here in Nashville. While there, she helped start the first Youth in Government. She was also the Salutatorian of her class of 31 girls. Choosing to stick around Nashville, Escobar was accepted to Vanderbilt through early admission. She double majored in Political Science and English. She participated in the Speakers’ Bureau, Student Government, and College Democrats.

Escobar enjoyed studying government and chose to head to law school to become a lobbyist. Due to that, she chose to move to D.C. to attend law school at The George Washington University in 1992. When it came time to find a job her second summer, Escobar remembers looking at the jobs bulletin board and seeing a flyer for a summer intern at the Nashville PD’s office with preference given to Spanish speakers. Escobar took this flyer as a divine sign and ended up with the job. During that summer, she fell in love with criminal law and gave up on a future of lobbying.

Escobar landed a job at the PD’s office following graduation. While her employer changed a few times including stints at the DA’s office and a private defense firm, Escobar stayed in the criminal law realm for many years. She even ran her own defense practice for 10 years.

In 2011, Escobar took a break from the legal world. Mayor Karl Dean, her former employer at the PD’s office, picked her to become the Metropolitan Clerk, making her the first Hispanic female Metro department head. In that role she served as the official records-keeper for Metro. During that time, she also started My City Academy which empowers New Americans to understand and participate in Nashville’s government.

Wanting to get back into the legal sphere, Escobar agreed to become the Deputy Director of the AOC when her friend Bill Young asked her in 2013. As Deputy Director, Escobar helped judges and courts across the whole state. When Young took a judicial appointment, Escobar left to rejoin the DA’s office to head up the domestic violence unit in 2015. She stayed at the DA’s office until 2018, when she decided to run for judge of General Sessions, Division III. She won that position and was re-elected to a full term in 2022.

In her current role, Escobar is one of the 3 domestic violence (“DV”) General Sessions judges. She hears DV cases 8 months a year. The remaining 4 months is spent hearing other criminal and civil cases. In her role, Escobar also heads up the Cherished Hearts Court which is for human trafficking survivors and focuses on treatment.

While some have criticized Escobar for her varied job history, she has no regrets. “Every job has prepared me for my role as a judge and I’m not just being dramatic,” she laughs.

To know Escobar is to know she has a true servant’s heart. She loves to spend her time volunteering and serving her community. There are not many boards or organizations that she has not helped. She has served on the TN Judicial Nominating Committee as well as the Davidson County Election Commission, Planning Commission, and Board of Equalization. She is currently serving her second stint on the NBA Board and helped found the new Hispanic Bar Association. She also started a foundation, Wings, that provides support for the Cherished Hearts Court.

Escobar and her son Connor (16) live in Brentwood (Davidson County side) with their tuxedo cats, Mary Kate and Ashley. Escobar attends St. Edwards Church. n

BART PICKETT was recently appointed as the State Trial Court Administrator for the Twentieth Judicial District where he oversees the operations of the 18 State Trial Courts. Prior to that, he practiced as a trial attorney for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company.