20th Judicial District General Sessions Court Judge Ana Escobar grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and has called Music City home for the past 51 years.
“I went to high school here. I went to Vanderbilt,” said Judge Escobar. “I didn’t really know what I wanted to do after I went to Vanderbilt, so I decided to go to law school because I can’t add, and blood makes me woozy.”
Although Judge Escobar didn’t know what she was getting into, since no one in her family was a lawyer, it didn’t dissuade her from attending law school at George Washington University, in Washington, D.C.
“I thought I wanted to be a lobbyist, but I saw in between my second and third year at George Washington a flyer on the bulletin board for an internship and they requested that people speak Spanish,” she said. “I thought, well this is me. This is the Nashville Public Defender’s Office, and they want someone to speak Spanish. I applied and I was able to get that internship. That’s when I fell in love with criminal law.”
Over her career, Judge Escobar was a solo practitioner, a public defender, a district attorney - twice, the deputy director of the Administrative Office of the Courts and metro clerk, but she always came back to criminal law.
“In my last stint at the DA’s office, I was the team leader for domestic violence,” said Judge Escobar. “At that time Judge [Angelita Blackshear] Dalton went up to criminal court and her General Sessions slot was for domestic violence. When that opening came up, I tried to get appointed by the council. That did not work out and then I decided to run for the bench.”
Judge Escobar won the election in 2018 and again in 2022. Having interviewed hundreds of domestic violence victims and working as a defense lawyer in the domestic violence realm, she felt like she was well-balanced and ready for this judgeship.
“I am very happy,” she said. “I get a lot of joy out of my job. It takes a lot of courage for someone to come to court and accuse a loved one of doing something wrong. I admire the courage that it takes. I also see that families are just in upheaval, in trauma, and so being able to hopefully provide services and classes, some accountability to the accused and hopefully help that family dynamic is really fulfilling to me.”
Spanish-Speaking Advantage
Judge Escobar says being able to speak Spanish opened a lot of doors. As a prosecutor, she traveled to Mexico to prosecute a case with one of the district attorneys. In private practice, she served dual roles as interpreter and lawyer.
“These really wonderful attorneys would hire me to sit second chair in their cases,” she said. “I was very fortunate these, mostly men, allowed me to also bring my lawyer brain. I wasn’t just an interpreter; I was helping to represent.”
On the bench, Judge Escobar’s background and language skills often put others at ease.
“I can kind of see their faces relax,” she said. “It’s not because they think they are going to get better treatment. One of the things against them won’t be the language barrier.”
Although she is fluent in Spanish, Judge Escobar uses an interpreter in her courtroom to rule out any miscommunication.
“It’s so good for me to be able to understand the culture and to understand, frankly, the Spanish and kind of get more of a flavor,” said Judge Escobar. “You know, you lose so much in that interpretation, the emotion, the words, and so I’m very lucky to have that. Obviously, I try to base my decisions on the English versions because that’s what everybody’s hearing, but if there is a misinterpretation I will call an interpreter on it.”
Judge Escobar’s favorite days are when more than one person in the courtroom speaks Spanish.
“Some days it will be a prosecutor, a defense lawyer and me, all who speak Spanish,” she said. “That’s just like a glorious moment for me because never in 1995 would that have happened.”
Mentoring
It’s these experiences Judge Escobar enjoys sharing with young people considering legal careers.
“With the law students, they’re definitely welcome to job shadow me in court and observe court,” she said. “We can talk about court. It’s one of my favorite things to do. When I first started practicing law in 1995, there were literally maybe five attorneys who spoke Spanish. Now, I’m happy to say there are at least 30 and it’s just awesome.”
The specific advice she gives to these students is to get involved in their communities.
“Just learn more about the people that you serve,” she said. “It’s just important to be engaged in your community -- voting, volunteerism, volunteering for a campaign, all that I think is very important. It makes you a much more well-rounded person.”
Judge Escobar is a 2019 Academy for Women of Achievement (AWA) honoree. According to their website, the AWA celebrates extraordinary women in Middle Tennessee for their career success, community service, and leadership. Its honorees are committed to eliminating racism, empowering women, and advancing peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. Serving as a mentor to her peers is important to her.
“If someone’s running for office, I love meeting with them and encouraging them,” she said. “That AWA honor has really allowed me to connect with some amazing women here in Nashville. That’s been great to get to know other women.”
Hispanic Heritage Pride
Judge Escobar is proud to be the first elected Hispanic judge in Tennessee.
“I know Judge Sanchez was appointed, then elected,” she said. “I sent him a note when he was appointed. I was so happy to have someone else. We started the Nashville Hispanic Bar Association in 2019 and tried to grow it despite covid. I tell every one of these young lawyers, I’m the first but I shouldn’t be the last. Hopefully, as these young lawyers see that it is possible, they will hopefully put their name in the ring for this or for any kind of political position.”
As for diversity on the bench, she believes understanding cultural differences is essential.
“For instance, with Hispanic people, a lot of immigrants will agree with everything a police officer says, even if they don’t understand what they’re saying,” she said. “They’re just trying to get away from the situation. Also, their first instinct isn’t to report things to the police and not advocate for themselves.”
Boards & Committees
Judge Escobar served on many non-profit boards, and different state and metro committees. Her favorite one was the state judicial nominating commission, which allowed her to travel across the state and interview potential candidates for governor.
“It was an amazing experience,” said Judge Escobar. “I went all over Tennessee. I realized how diverse and different every part of the state is. I’ve always loved learning about the different non-profits and the issues they serve, the constituency that they serve. I like to be engaged in the community and really understand the people that I’m serving. That’s primarily why I like doing it. It gives me perspective on the challenges people have on just living.”
Working with folks from every walk of life is what keeps her happy in her current role.
“I am very happy in General Sessions,” said Judge Escobar. “I love just dealing with people and trying to figure out how to help or give accountability to people. I would say that the General Sessions Court is like an emergency room. We are just triaging cases. I love that pace. I’m perfectly happy doing what I’m doing.”
