Criminal Court Judge

Criminal Court Judge

Criminal courts exist in 13 of Tennessee’s 31 judicial districts, including Davidson County. The state legislature established criminal courts to relieve circuit courts with heavy caseloads. In districts without criminal courts, circuit court judges handle criminal cases at the trial level.

A criminal court judge presides over criminal cases and misdemeanor appeals from lower courts. Criminal courts handle cases where the defendants have been arrested and charged with a crime such as assault, murder, arson, or other types of crimes. Judges preside over the courtroom, make decisions on motions and rulings, enforce rules of the court, read through court documents, research legal issues, and more in order to make sure that those accused receive a fair trial for determining their guilt or innocence.

Criminal court judges are elected for eight-year terms and must be authorized to practice law in the courts of Tennessee. To serve as a criminal court judge, one must be at least 30 years of age and a state resident for five years, and of the district for one year.

STEVEN DOZIER, Division I

Steven Dozier is seeking re-election as a Criminal Court Judge in District I as his current eight-year term expires in 2022. Dozier is a lifelong Nashvillian and the son of a Metropolitan Police Officer who served the city of Nashville more than 40 years. He received his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University in 1979 and his J.D. degree from Nashville School of Law in 1984.

He began his career as a law clerk and then moved to assistant district attorney general. He then practiced law at his law firm Williams, Smith and Dozier. After five years, he returned to the district attorney’s office until he replaced Judge Thomas Shriver. He was re-elected to his seat in 2006 and 2014.

Throughout his tenure, Dozier has served on the Tennessee Supreme Court District 5 Investigating Committee, the Governors Alliance of Drug Free Tennessee, the Davidson County Child Sex Abuse Council and the Governor’s DUI Task Force. He has experience from the perspective of prosecutor, defense attorney and judge. He pledges a continuity of his unwavering commitment to justice, fairness, and safety of Nashville as he seeks re-election.

ANGIE BLACK- SHEAR DALTON, Division II

Angie Blackshear Dalton is running for re-election, and has held the judgeship since 2017. Dalton was the first African-American woman to be elected to a judgeship for General Sessions in Davidson County in 2006 and was re-elected in 2014. A native Nashvillian, she earned a B.A. in English from Lane College, and her law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law.

Judge Dalton started her career working for the Tennessee Supreme Court. She then went on to hold several positions at the Davidson County District Attorney General’s Office from 1997-2005, where she specialized on the domestic violence prosecution team. She has twice been voted as Presiding Judge among her peers and has worked on an array of committees during her time with the General Sessions Court.

Dalton is a member of the Napier-Looby, Nashville and Tennessee Bar Associations, and the Lawyers’ Association for Women. She is also an adjunct professor at the Nashville School of Law. In her work, she aims to ensure that efficiency of the court and fairness for all parties are top priorities.

CHERYL BLACKBURN, Division III

Cheryl Blackburn was born in Oak Ridge, Tenn. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in 1969 in Clinical Psychology from Vanderbilt University and a Juris Doctorate from the Nashville School of Law in 1979.

For the next seventeen years, Blackburn served as Assistant District Attorney. She was certified as a Criminal Trial Specialist in 1994 by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, the first woman and assistant district attorney to achieve this certification in Tennessee. In 1996, Blackburn was appointed Division III Judge of the Criminal Court. She was elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2006 and 2014.

She is dedicated to the responsibilities of being a judge and ensuring everyone’s constitutional rights. She believes she deserves your vote because of her deep understanding of criminal law, her specialized mental health training, and her advocacy for the law. Blackburn states, “Frequently, defendants in the criminal justice system suffer from mental health disorders and require treatment, which is an issue I have practical experience addressing and routinely do so in my courtroom.”

JENNIFER SMITH, Division IV

Jennifer Smith is seeking re-election. She was appointed Division IV Criminal Court Judge by Governor Haslam in 2018. Smith received both undergraduate and J.D. degrees from the University of Mississippi in 1988 and 1991, respectively, and an M.S. from the National Intelligence University in 2008.

Smith is an U.S. Navy Reserve Intelligence Officer and has been twice deployed to conflict zones. She is a mentor for Belmont University Law, a member of the Lawyers’ Association for Women, and both a Committee Member and parent for the Boy Scouts.

Smith was the Associate Solicitor General in the Tennessee Attorney General’s Offices, the Deputy Attorney General of the Law Enforcement and Special Prosecutions Division, and the Associate Deputy of the Criminal Justice Division. She was involved with criminal prosecution and defense in state and federal appellate courts and has substantial federal habeas corpus experience. Smith has argued three cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Recently, Smith argued the state’s controversial lethal injection protocol was constitutional; the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled in her favor.

KHADIJA BABB Division V

Khadija Babb is the current Judge-Elect for Davidson County Criminal Court, Division V. An East Nashville native, Babb received her Bachelor of Arts in legal studies from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and her law degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. After graduating, she established the Law Office of Khadija L. Babb, serving the Nashville area as a criminal defense attorney.

Babb has supported the Nashville community by providing quality and affordable legal services and facilitating discussions around constitutional rights. During this time, she also coached the Stratford High School Mock Trial team and was the Assistant District Attorney of Davidson County Juvenile Court. During her time as Assistant D.A., she handled juvenile detention cases. In addition, she has mentored middle and high school students, taught seminars about voting rights restoration, and participated in various criminal justice reform efforts.

As Criminal Court Judge Division V, Babb will respect victims’ rights, reduce disparities in the criminal justice system, and serve the community. She wants to transform the way criminal justice looks and create a healthy, stable, restorative justice program.

CYNTHIA CHAPPELL, Division VI

Cynthia Chappell is originally from McKenzie, Tenn., and has lived in Nashville since 1995. Chappell attended Rhodes College on a Presidential Scholarship and later earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Memphis School of Law.

Chappell is a solo practitioner and has over 25 years of experience in criminal defense, family law, and civil litigation. Chappell has been an active member of the Federal Criminal Justice Act panel for over a decade and regularly handles pro bono cases for the Nashville Bar Association.

Chappell is a member of the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Nashville Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Tennessee Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. In addition, Chappell has served on a committee for the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission. Nashville Business Journal recognized Chappell as “Best of the Bar” in 2017 and 2019.