Circuit Court Judge

Circuit Court Judge

Davidson County Circuit Court Judges preside over eight divisions of the 20th Judicial District of Tennessee. Circuit Courts are of general jurisdiction in Tennessee, and judges hear civil and criminal cases and appeals of decisions from Juvenile, Municipal, and General Sessions Courts.

Among the cases heard by the Circuit Courts are contract disputes, civil torts (a broad area of the law that covers wrongdoing by one individual against another), worker’s compensation claims, domestic matters, and the administration of estates. Judges should maintain the dignity of judicial office. They should always aspire to ensure public confidence in their impartiality, integrity, and competence.

Circuit Court judges are elected for eightyear terms and must be authorized to practice law in the courts of Tennessee. To serve as a circuit court judge, one must be at least 30 years of age and a state resident for five years, and of the district for one.

David Briley Division I

Former Nashville Mayor, David Briley, was raised in Nashville. He is the grandson of Beverly Briley, the first mayor of Metro Nashville. He received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and his law degree from Golden Gate University.

He served as Councilman at Large from 1999 to 2007, and was elected vice-mayor in 2015. He was then sworn in as mayor after Megan Barry’s resignation, but lost re-election in 2019.

Before and after his term as mayor, Briley worked as an attorney at Bone McAllester Norton PLLC, specializing in personal injury, products liability, commercial, and class action litigation. Over the past two decades, he has served as a board member for The Housing Fund, Nashville CARES, Boy Scouts of America, Hands on Nashville, Habitat for Humanity, and Beaman Park to Bells Bend Corridor, amongst others.

Briley is known for his progressive politics. He is committed to equity and fairness from the bench and believes the law should be “enforced fairly and compassionately.” He is running unopposed from the Republican Party.

Amanda McClendon Division II

Amanda McClendon is running for re-election as Division II Circuit Court Judge, and was elected to the bench in 2006. A native Nashvillian, McClendon attended MTSU before transferring to Vanderbilt University, where she graduated with a B.S. in Economics and History. McClendon obtained her Juris Doctor Degree from University of Tennessee.

McClendon was an attorney in private practice from 1984-2006. She was the second female attorney elected to Metro Council, serving the 16th district from 1999- 2006. As a council member, she chaired several committees, including the Budget and Finance Committee, Chair of Public Works, and Chair of the Federal Grants Committee. Judge McClendon is an adjunct professor at the Nashville School of Law.

She is a member of the National Association of Women Judges, the Tennessee Bar Association, the Nashville Bar Association, the Harry Phillips Inns of Court, the Nashville Bar Foundation, and the Tennessee Judicial Foundation.

Phillip Robinson Division III

Phillip Robinson is a lifelong resident of Nashville. He earned his bachelor’s degree and law degree from the University of Tennessee. Shortly after graduating, Robinson became an associate at Norman Law Office, where his practice included personal injury, criminal, and domestic relations matters.

Robinson is board certified as a family law trial advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, as well as a hearing panel member on the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Supreme Court of Tennessee. In addition to being listed in Best Lawyers in America, he has the highest rating from Martindale-Hubbel, a company that publishes peer ratings to estimate the legal and ethical standards of an attorney.

In 2012, he was appointed by former governor Bill Haslam to Davidson County’s Third Circuit Court judgeship, following the retirement of Judge Barbara Haynes. Robinson was nominated as a highly recommended candidate, receiving 93 percent approval from members of the Nashville Bar Association who participated in the poll. In 2014 he won re-election for this position, and he is running unopposed for re-election this year.

Philip E. Smith Division IV

Philip E. Smith has served as a Circuit Court Judge since 2009, when he was appointed by Governor Phil Bredesen. Born and raised in Donelson, Smith graduated from Tennessee State University and earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law. Smith worked for the Child Support Enforcement Division of the Office of the District Attorney General in the 29th District, and practiced law at several firms.

Smith’s prior judicial experience includes serving as Special Judge in multiple Circuit Courts and Probate Court, as well as Special Referee for the Juvenile Court of Davidson County from 1990-1994.

Judge Smith has received several honors for his work with family law, and was certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a Family Law Trial Advocate. He serves on the Board for the Family Safety Center and performed adoptions for same sex parents. In 2015, Smith was honored with the Good Guy’s Award by The Women’s Political Collaborative for his work in domestic violence prevention.

Joe P. Binkley, Jr. Division V

Joe P. Binkley, Jr. is a lifelong Nashvillian who received his bachelor’s degree and law degree from Vanderbilt University. Binkley worked for nearly 40 years as a trial lawyer representing workers’ compensation, personal injury, domestic relations, and criminal cases. He was first appointed as Davidson County’s Fifth Circuit Court Judge by Governor Phil Bredesen in March 2008. He was then elected in August 2008, and reelected in 2014. He is running unopposed for this election.

Binkley was the recipient of the 2019 Law Day USA Liberty Bell Award from the Nashville Bar Association. He is both a member and a Fellow of the Tennessee and Nashville Bar Associations, as well as a Trustee of the Nashville Bar Foundation, and has served as a Board Member of the Nashville Bar Association for two terms. Judge Binkley is also an Emeritus member of the Harry Phillips American Inn of Courts, as well as a member of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers’ Association.

Thomas W. Brothers Division VI

Thomas W. Brothers is a Democrat running for reelection as Judge of the Division VI Circuit Court of Davidson County, a position that he has held for thirty-three years. He received a B.A. with honors from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1973 and a Juris Doctor degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1977.

After graduating from law school, Brothers served as Chief Warrant Officer for the Davidson County Sheriff’s Department and, from 1978-1989, practiced law in Nashville in the law offices of Jack Norman.

Brothers has twice served as Presiding Judge for the 20th Judicial District and has served as Chairman of the Minorities Opportunities Committee and as a member of the Board of Directors for the Nashville Bar Association. He currently serves as Chairman of the Technology for the Courts Committee and is a member of the Pattern Civil Jury Instructions Committee and the Delay Reduction Committee for the Tennessee Judicial Conference, as well as Vice Chair of the Justice Information System of the Nashville metropolitan government.

Andra Hedrick Division VII

Andra Hedrick is running for election as Circuit Court Judge in Division VII. Hedrick earned her B.A. from Indiana University in 1995. In 1998, she received her J.D. from the University of Memphis School of Law, where she worked as a research assistant and law clerk.

Hedrick moved to Nashville and joined Gullett Sanford Robinson & Martin PLLC. She has over 23 years of experience in probate law, including estate planning, administration, and litigation. She is an adjunct professor at the Nashville School of Law and has co-authored reference books on Tennessee probate law. She provides pro bono services through the Legal Aid Society and Tennessee Innocence Project and is also a member of several law committees and associations, including the Tennessee Bar Association’s Probate Study Group.

Hedrick believes in an accessible, efficient, and easy-to-understand judicial process. She also plans to implement new processes to support these goals. She hopes to bring an attitude of inclusiveness and equality to all who come to probate court. Hendrick won the Democratic primary election with a 55 percent lead.

Lynne Ingram Division VIII

Lynne Ingram is running for Circuit Court Judge in Division VIII. Ingram received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of South Carolina in 2000 and a Juris Doctor degree from Western Michigan Cooley Law School in 2003. Ingram has lived and worked in Nashville since 2009. As an attorney of 18 years, 14 of them have been in public service working for a non-profit organization.

Ingram went on to serve for more than 11 years as an assistant U.S. Attorney. She also worked as a family law attorney at Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands and currently practices law at Robinson Reagan & Young. Ingram teaches as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt Law School.

Ingram serves as vice-president of the Nashville Bar Association, as co-chair of the Special Committee on Race and Equity. She serves on Legal Aid Society’s Racial Justice and Equity Committee and chairs the End Slavery Tennessee board of directors. She serves on the Women’s Fund through the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. She founded the Child Care Alliance of Middle Tennessee through the Community Foundation. Ingram was recognized by the Nashville Business Journal in 2021 as one of its Women of Influence, and she received the Tennessee Bar Association’s Larry Dean Wilks Leadership Award.