Commish to interview six magistrate candidates today to replace Brown

The Knox County Commission today will interview the six candidates to replace judicial commissioner Mark Brown, who announced his resignation earlier this month. (Note: judicial commissioners also are called magistrates.)

The county has five magistrates, often called judicial commissioners, who work 36 hours per week on a rotating schedule. The magistrates are charged with reviewing applications for warrants and summonses and conduct the initial court appearances of prisoners via closed-circuit television.

Here's a brief snapshot of the candidates based on their cover letters and resumes, which you can find RIGHT SMACK HERE):

• Alexander Brown: A 20-year Knoxville residents and attorney since 2002, he has tried cases in state and federal courts and handled appeals as high as the U.S. Supreme Court. He’s served as a substitute magistrate. He earned his law degree from UT.
• Michael Cabage: An attorney since 2000 and a graduate of UT, he runs his own law practice, focusing on criminal defense, personal injury, workers’ comp, collections, family law and veterans’ benefits.
• Dustin Dunham: Served as the primary substitute judicial magistrate since late December 2010, working more than 3,075 hours as a magistrate (this equals one year and six months on the job, Dunham notes). He worked as a personnel administrator for the United States Marine Corps from 1997-2001, earned his law degree from the University of Memphis in 2010 and has since then worked as a solo practitioner.
• Sharon Frankenberg: Earned law degree from UT in 1998 and works as a lawyer and community speaker. Also published two federal appellate cases.
• Rhonda Lee: earned law degree in 2012 from the Nashville School of Law and runs a solo practice, as well as teaches law courses at Pellissippi State Community College. Also, spent a year working as a supervisor in the Anderson County District Attorney General’s Office, and a year in the Knox County District Attorney General’s Office in the child abuse division.
• Patrick Looper: An attorney since 2000, he’s also served as a police consultant since 1992 and worked for 11 years as a police academy instructor and a decade as a state trooper for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

Chief Magistrate Brown resigning

Mark Brown

Knox County General Sessions Court Chief Magistrate Mark Brown has submitted his letter of resignation, telling officials that his last day on the job will be April 10 before he moves to Nashville to be closer to his family.

"As you are aware, I remarried over a year ago," he wrote in his letter submitted Jan. 28 and made public Tuesday. "Due to employment constraints, my wife and I have lived in different parts of the state. This move is a positive development toward uniting our two households in one location."

Brown, who began serving as a magistrate in February 2009, made $85,000 annually in his position as chief magistrate, according to records.

"Thank you for the support I have received during my six years of employment," his letter states. The many professional relationships and personal friendships developed during this time have enriched my life."

Brown, who also ran his own private law practice, is a former vice mayor for the city of Knoxville and served on the Knoxville City Council for seven years. He earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law.

The county has five magistrates, often called judicial commissioners, who work 36 hours per week on a rotating schedule. The magistrates are charged with reviewing applications for warrants and summonses and conduct the initial court appearances of prisoners via closed-circuit television.

The general sessions court judges usually accept resumes and then send a handful of their top choices to the Knox County Commission to make a final decision. Although officials have yet to iron out the details, the judges in the coming days are expected to accept resumes for Brown's position.

The County Commission is tentatively looking at March 16 to interview candidates, and April 20 to hold a special session to fill the magistrate vacancy.

The commission last filled an open magistrate position in August, when then-chief Magistrate Richard Major stepped down to work as Knox county Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond's second-in-command.

The board appointed local attorney Ray Jenkins to succeed Major.

Commish picks Jenkins for magistrate

The Knox County Commission on Monday picked local attorney and former Knox County GOP chairman Ray Jenkins to serve as one of five judicial commissioners, replacing Richard Major who stepped down to work as incoming Knox County Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond’s second-in-command.

Jenkins currently serves as a substitute magistrate and has practiced law for more than 16 years. He will start Aug. 26.

The county has five judicial commissioners, or magistrates, who work 36 hours per week on a rotating schedule. The position pays around $65,000 to review applications for warrants and summonses and conduct the initial court appearances of prisoners via closed-circuit television.

Knox Commission to interview eight lawyers for open magistrate spot

Eight local attorneys will interview with the Knox County Commission on Monday to replace long-time magistrate Richard Major.

The interviews, which are open to the public, will take place at 1 p.m. in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building.

The board will make a final decision during its voting meeting a week later.

You can find the resumes, cover letters, etc. RIGHT SMACK HERE.

The new magistrate (often called judicial commissioner) will replace Major, who is stepping down to take over as incoming Knox County Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond's second-in-command.

The county has five magistrates who work 36 hours per week on a rotating schedule. The position pays around $65,000 to review applications for warrants and summonses and conduct the initial court appearances of prisoners via closed-circuit television.

Here’s a quick look at the candidates (in alphabetical order):

• Alexander Brown: Serves as a substitute judicial commissioner, and has run a general practice (includes trials in state and federal court) since 2002.
• Maria Danker: Prosecutor with the Knox County Child Support Office.
• Dustin Dunham: Serves as a substitute magistrate and a solo practitioner (focus on criminal law) since 2010.
• Ray Jenkins: Serves as a substitute magistrate; practicing attorney of 16 years. (Side note: Folks might recognize Jenkins’ name. He served as the local GOP chair and also recently ran for the Circuit Court Division 1 judge seat.)
• Rhonda Lee: Attorney who graduated from law school in 2012 and opened her own practice last year. (Side note: For someone with what appears to be very little experience, she has an 11-page resume.)
• J. Myers Morton: An attorney since 1988, his practice focuses on domestic relations and criminal law.
• Jason R. Smith: A junior law clerk to D. Kelly Thomas Jr., a judge for the Eastern Section of the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, since 2010.
• Steve Williams: Operated a private practice since 1985. (Side note: Folks also might recognize Williams’ name. He ran for the Criminal Court Clerk gig.)

I’m not sure how many actually applied. Folks initially submitted resumes to the General Sessions Court, where the judges there made the selections. They were tasked with picking between four and eight candidates for the commission.

Commish to select magistrate Aug. 25

The Knox County Commission at 1 p.m. on Aug. 18 will interview candidates to replace long-time magistrate Richard Major.

Major, who served as the chief of the magistrates, is stepping down (or up depending on how you want to look at it) to take over as incoming Knox County Criminal Court Clerk Mike Hammond's second-in-command. (That was a long sentence. Heh.)

Commissioners will make a final decision during their Aug. 25 meeting.

County taking applications for magistrate spot; Deadline July 18

So, ever since Mike Hammond announced that long-time chief of magistrates, Richard Major, would serve as his top staffer when he takes over the Knox County Criminal Court Clerk's Office in early September, folks have been eying the soon-to-be empty seat.

And already there have been quite a number of applications, according to some folks in the local legal arena.

So, if you're interested, check out the ad - RIGHT SMACK HERE - on the Knoxville Bar Association's website.

Or read below:

• Qualifications – Licensed attorney residing in Knox County, Tennessee
• Term – Anticipated term to begin September 2, 2014
• Duties – Include, but are not necessarily limited to, issuance of arrest warrants, search warrants and mittimus. The judicial magistrates also issue forfeiture warrants and conduct jail arraignments by means of video. The judicial magistrates have the duty of determining whether or not probable cause exist to issue an arrest warrant when a crime is alleged to have been committed.
• Contact Person – Please send resume’ by July 18, 2014 to Donna Corbitt at:

Donna Corbitt
Judicial Court Administrator
Room M-70, City-County Building
P.O. Box 2404
Knoxville, TN 37901
(865) 215-2370 FAX (865) 215-2403

The local judges will weed through the applications and then send a number of picks over to the Knox County Commission, which is expected to vote on the matter during its August meeting.

2 judicial commish candidates don't vote

Just got off the horn with Knox County Commissioner “Our” Larry Smith who isn't too happy with some of the candidates seeking that sweet judicial commissioner job.

Apparently, some of them want to serve the county, but they don't like to hit the ballot boxes.

“Taxpayers are paying for this judicial position and it's almost $65,000 (a year in salary), so I was wondering if they were doing their civic duty themselves,” Smith told me. “I found out that five of them aren't, yet they want taxpayers to pay their (salary).”

OK, according to Smith, Alex Brown and Scott Tsakeres are not registered to vote.

He said Charity Miles and Arun Rattan are registered but don't vote.

He added that “there was not sufficient information on Marks Woods to determine whether he was registered.”

Fifteen folks applied for the spot and the commission will make a decision on Monday. But, earlier this week, the county sessions court judges narrowed down the list, so the commission is really faced with just eight candidates.

Brown and Miles are on the list of eight.

The county overall has five magistrates. They are charged with reviewing applications for warrants and summonses and conduct the initial court appearances of prisoners via closed-circuit television.