An unexpected opportunity led Judge Ryan Spitzer to his judgeship with the 7th Judicial District Circuit Court. He fills the vacancy left by the Honorable Donald R. Elledge and serves Anderson County.
Once Judge Spitzer was appointed, it was a swift transition. He was sworn in on September 1, 2021 by Chancellor Nicole Cantrell, with his family in attendance.
“We’ve been without a circuit court judge here, to do civil circuit or criminal court, since our judge retired on June 30,” Judge Spitzer said. “The courts have been getting by with four judges coming in from nearby counties, a day or two here and there when they can spare it, by designation. I was in a hurry to be sworn in and get started, to free them up and let them get back to their regular caseloads.”
Needless to say, Judge Spitzer’s first day on the bench was a busy one.
“I was sworn in on Wednesday and had court on Thursday, so it was busy. It’s a court I’ve been in for a long time. I just moved to a different perspective in the courtroom and it does look a lot different. Other judges said it would,” he said.
In fact, that different courtroom perspective is Judge Spitzer’s favorite part of the job.
“I like interacting with the people that come into the courtroom. I spent almost 14 years in there as a prosecutor, but you never get to talk to the parties. You don’t talk to the defendants. You don’t get to interact. You just negotiate back and forth with the defense attorneys. Now, I have pro se defendants and people who are applying for court appointed attorneys. I am able to talk to people more and see them as real people more,”
It’s a positive outlook for someone who never had a judgeship on his radar.
“I was working in DA’s office and my boss was about 10 years older than me. I expected I would run for DA after he retired, but then my judge retired and this position was going to be open,” he said. “In Anderson County there just aren’t very many attorneys who live here and practice here, so it was a good opportunity for me.”
Another unexpected opportunity came in college. Judge Spitzer was on track to a career in medicine, when it was derailed by a love of the law.
“Originally, I thought I was going to be a doctor. I became an EMT in the National Guard and I was headed down that path. I started out at a little junior college. I took my first political science class and I absolutely just loved it. My professor was awesome. His name was Dr. Fry. He was passionate about it — the founding fathers, the purpose of government. I just thought all of it was really interesting. I changed my path and here I am.”
As for other attorneys interested in sitting on the bench, Judge Spitzer offers this advice.
“Talk to judges. Get their insights about the process. Also, be extremely scrupulous about the ethical rules for judges because they apply to candidates, as well as judges. That is probably the first thing you need to do. Sit down and read the ethical rules.”
Prior to his appointment, Judge Spitzer served as an assistant district attorney general for the 7th Judicial District and as an adjunct professor in the Paralegal Studies program at Pellissippi State Community College.
Judge Spitzer is a graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Law and Lambuth University. He is a member of the Anderson County Bar Association.
Judge Spitzer resides in Oak Ridge with his wife, Tracy, and their two sons.
