The recently formed Board of Judicial Conduct (BJC) has met and selected officers. Judge Chris Craft was elected aschairperson, Judge Tim Easter as vice-chair, Tom Lawless as Secretary and Judge Jeff Bivins as General Assembly Liaison.
“I appreciate the confidence the members of the Board of Judicial Conduct have shown in me by selecting me as their chairperson,” Judge Craft said. “I look forward to working with the new Board of Judicial Conduct members as we continue the very important task of safeguarding the ethics of the judicial branch of government and ensuring that all Tennesseans have ethical, fair and impartial judges.”
The Board of Judicial Conduct, formerly Court of the Judiciary, was created by the legislature to investigate and, when warranted, act on complaints against judges. Members are appointed by multiple appointing authorities, including the Governor, Lt. Governor, Speaker of the House and various judicial conferences.
Judge Craft has served as criminal court judge in the 30th Judicial District since 1994. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Craft served as an assistant district attorney for 12 years, the last three of which he served as senior trial prosecutor in the major violations unit. Since 2001, Judge Craft has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Memphis School of law.
For more information on the Board of Judicial Conduct, visit http://www.tncourts.gov/court-judiciary.