Governor Phil Bredesen today named attorney Donald Ray Elledge to serve on the Seventh Circuit Court in Anderson County. Elledge fills a vacancy created by the retirement of James B. Scott, Jr., which is effective Friday, September 2.
“I would like to thank Judge Scott for his honorable service to the state of Tennessee and welcome Donald Elledge to the Seventh Circuit Court with equal enthusiasm,” Bredesen said. “Donald brings a generous character, a strong work ethic and solid legal expertise to his new position, and I am confident he will serve with distinction.”
Elledge is co-owner and partner at the Shattuck & Elledge law firm in Clinton, Tenn. His 28-year legal career has included a focus on domestic relations, criminal defense, civil litigation and estate law and has also included trial, appellate and mediation work.
Before becoming an attorney, Elledge taught elementary school and coached high school football in DeKalb County. Prior, he served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Infantry, ending his service with an honorable discharge and the National Defense Medal.
“I am truly honored to have been selected and appointed by Governor Bredesen,” Elledge said. “This position carries obvious responsibility, and the Governor has placed a lot of trust in me.”
Elledge, 56, is an Anderson County resident and a West Virginia native. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, Tenn., and a doctor of jurisprudence from the YMCA Night Law School in Nashville. He is a current member of the Tennessee Bar Association’s House of Delegates, a board member with the City of Clinton Board of Education and a member of the Tennessee School Board Association. Elledge has served as president of the Anderson County Bar Association, as president of Clinton’s Civitan Club and as a member of the city’s Regional Planning Commission.