Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam today appointed Angelita Blackshear Dalton of Nashville as Criminal Court Judge for the 20th Judicial District, replacing retiring Judge J. Randall Wyatt.
Dalton, 46, has served as Davidson County General Sessions Court Judge for Division III since 2006. In that role she has presided over civil and criminal cases. She was chosen by her peers as presiding judge in 2010 and in 2017. She has also served as co-chair of the Court Operations Committee overseeing implementation of recommendations of the Domestic Violence Safety Assessment commissioned by the Nashville mayor’s office.
“Angie Dalton has a distinguished career in the 20th Judicial District, and we are fortunate to have someone with that background to serve as a Criminal Court Judge,” Haslam said.
“I want to thank the governor for his confidence in me,” Dalton said. “It has been my privilege to serve the citizens of Davidson County as a General Sessions Court Judge for the past 11 years. I look forward to my continued service as a Criminal Court Judge.”
Dalton was an assistant district attorney general for the 20th Judicial District from 1999-2005 and was a staff attorney in the office of the district attorney general from 1997-1999. She also served as an intern for Justice Adolpho A. Birch Jr. of the Tennessee Supreme Court in 1996.
Dalton received her law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law in 1997 and a bachelor’s degree in English from Lane College in Jackson, Tenn., in 1993. Dalton has served on the Tennessee Domestic Violence State Coordinating Council since 2008 and was on the board of directors for the Court Appointed Special Advocates from 2009-2012.
She and her husband, George Derrick Dalton, have a son, Ryan.
The 20th Judicial District serves Davidson County. Wyatt served 43 years as a judge in the district, 35 of which were as judge for Division II of the Davidson County Criminal Court.
