Judge William Andrew Lockhart realized his elementary school dream, when he was sworn in as judge of the 14th Judicial District Circuit Court of Tennessee, which covers Coffee County. Judge Lockhart was sworn in August, filling the vacancy left by the Honorable L. Craig Johnson.
“I took the effective immediately very literal. I was appointed on Friday. I was sworn-in on Monday in the courtroom by Judge Jackson, my counterpart - Part 2. I had a decent amount of family and friends there. We spaced out as best we could, but it was a good ceremony,” Judge Lockhart said.
There was no easing onto the bench, either. One month after being sworn-in, Judge Lockhart was assigned to a two-week long medical malpractice jury trial.
“I was thrown in pretty quick. It was a surreal experience. I’m just humbled and honored. You really don’t understand the gravity of the situation until you get up there and start to have to make decisions, so it was humbling. That would be the best word for it,” he said.
Since the 14th Judicial District is a single county district, it serves as both a chancery and circuit court. Judge Lockhart said hearing every type of case possible is his favorite part of the job.
“It’s a wide variety of practice areas, so that’s hard, obviously, because I am not able to be super specialized. But it does keep it interesting and I see lots of issues from every angle and every type of case that a state court judge can hear,” he said.
Judge Lockhart’s path to law school and judgeship started at an early age.
“In elementary school, I was into history. A lot of the founding fathers and presidents were lawyers. Judges, obviously, were lawyers, so I gravitated toward that profession for that reason. It’s always just been something that I’ve always aspired to do,” he said.
Today, he has more specific reasons for his desire to sit on the bench.
“I like hearing both sides. I like trying to be objective in situations and helping to solve problems, which I think a judge can do. Obviously, getting involved in the case, steering the process, and letting both sides be heard to where a good outcome can come forward.”
What he would tell other lawyers thinking about applying for a judicial vacancy is that the application process is very stressful, and that process will be draining on you and your family. He advises not to think about it every second of every day. Instead, reach out to people who understand.
“Just find some people to talk to about it. That’s the best piece of advice. Reach out to other people, who are either going through it because there’s generally more than one in the state or reach out to people who have gone through it in the past. That is the best advice because I was able to do that. It made me feel a lot better not only to understand the process, but to just know someone else has done this and survived. It just makes you feel better.”
Prior to his appointment, Judge Lockhart worked for Burch & Lockhart, in Manchester. He also served as the city attorney for Altamont, Tenn. He is a member of the Coffee County Bar Association, Manchester Chamber of Commerce and the Coffee County Young Republicans.
Judge Lockhart graduated cum laude from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science, and earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Tennessee College of Law.
He is married to his wife, Hailey. They have a son, Timothy, and a daughter, Annie Grace. The family resides in Tullahoma.
