Shelby Co. Criminal Court Judge Melissa Boyd on leave, predecessor to fill in temporarily
Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Melissa Boyd will be off the criminal court bench for a few months dealing with an undisclosed illness, and her predecessor will occupy the bench until her return, a Shelby County Criminal Court judge confirmed to The Commercial Appeal.
Senior Judge Mark Ward, who sat on the bench in Shelby County Criminal Court Division 9 prior to Boyd's election last year, is slated to take over the docket on June 7, Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Paula Skahan confirmed.
An exact timeline for Boyd's return is not clear, with Skahan telling The Commercial Appeal over text messages, "She will be out for a few months."
"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve the people of Tennessee in this new role," Ward said in a press release from the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts about his appointment. "Traveling the state to work with different judges, court clerks, and attorneys will be an incredible experience and one that I embrace. I am honored that the Supreme Court has selected me for this position."
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Ward is one of five senior judges, each of whom are appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court for four-year terms. Senior judges are temporarily assigned to various courts throughout the state, working to "promote the effective administration of justice" and provide additional resources, according to the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts website. They also fill in when a judge recuses themselves from a case.
Prior to losing reelection to Boyd in 2022, Ward spent 18 years on the Criminal Court Division 9 bench. He is an alumnus of the University of Memphis and earned his juris doctor from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, where he has been an adjunct professor since 2000.
He spent 16 years as a private practice attorney, litigating civil and criminal cases. He also worked part time as a public defender, before switching to the role full-time in 1997 and working in the office until his election to the Division 9 bench.
Boyd, prior to her leave of absence, received a public reprimand from the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct in early May for asking for donations to benefit a school in a Facebook post that showed the judge wearing her judicial robe.
State law prohibits judges from using their position to advance either their personal interests, or those of other people.
Boyd did not respond to the letter announcing the office's intent to investigate sent to her in December 2022, which required her to respond within 14 days, and she was also reprimanded for not responding in a timely manner.
Boyd responded in an April 10 letter, according to the reprimand, and provided reasons why she could not respond quickly. The board indicated that did not matter.
"Failing to respond to an investigation is inconsistent with a judge's proper performance of the judge's duties and undermines public confidence in the judiciary," the board said in its reprimand. "Simply stated, failing to respond is unacceptable."
Boyd was previously reprimanded in 2015, and suspended from practicing law for one year — with 30 days spent on active suspension and the remainder on probation — by the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Supreme Court of Tennessee.
"Ms. Boyd failed to act with diligence in the handling of a petition to change custody, failed to deposit an unearned fee into a trust account and failed to refund the fee when terminated prior to performing the work," a 2015 release about Boyd's suspension read.
Lucas Finton is a criminal justice reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Shelby Co. Criminal Court Judge Melissa Boyd on leave due to sickness
