Erim Sarinoglu

Erim Sarinoglu is a candidate for General Sessions Criminal Court Division 10 Judge county wide on August 4th. Erim is an experienced trial attorney and life-long Memphian who believes smart criminal justice reform is needed in the way domestic violence cases are handled in Shelby County. 

Endorsed by Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo, City Councilman Frank Colvett Jr., Representative John Gillespie, and other elected officials from both parties, Erim is running for a position that hears about 150 exclusively domestic violence cases from across the county in the span of about 3 hours every morning. Erim has a specific plan of smart reforms to reduce this overload and better serve victims, families, and all stakeholders in their pursuit of justice. Erim Sarinoglu is running for judge because a new generation of experienced, ethical, and energized judges are needed to begin these smart reforms.

A life-long Memphian originally from Turkey, Erim Sarinoglu grew up in Germantown and graduated from Memphis University School. Erim started his career after graduating Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service representing clients in the halls of government where he fought for improved benefits for our soldiers, defeating job-killing red tape, and a robust American space industry. At the top of his class in trial advocacy at Tulane Law School, Erim served with the United Nations' legal mission investigating war crimes in Cambodia. Erim currently serves as an Assistant Public Defender where he leads the Forensic Litigation Team. In 2021 Erim was honored among the "Best of the Bar" by the Memphis Business Journal. 

Erim believes justice delayed is justice denied. The daily overload of cases reduces access to justice for victims, families, and defendants causing harmful delays in domestic violence cases. Erim aims to reduce the time from report to court by instating the judicial magistrate structure successfully used by retiring Judge Tim Dwyer in his Drug Court Program where additional judicial magistrates are assigned to speed up cases. Erim thinks it is wrong to prioritize judicial effort into drug cases while domestic violence cases don't receive equal investment. With such judicial organization in domestic violence cases, Erim intends to remove arraignment settings from the primary docket. Erim would also start a compliance docket to begin at 9:00am to 10:00am sharp to remove cases from the docket that are merely reporting progress on their counseling. Late comer defendants will be made to wait till the end of the day. Clearing the path for victims and families to seek justice will be Erim's top priority.

?Erim believes technology is being ignored at the criminal courthouse. COVID has helped many of us become more digitized, but the courts have been slow to embrace digital solutions to combat our overloaded dockets. As Judge Erim would be certain that the lethality assessment program scores are correctly accounted for in the bond recommendation scoring process. Familiarity with technology is also relevant in the treatment of digital harassment or cell phone spying cases. We need a generation of judges to catch up to the modern reality of domestic violence. As the leader of the Forensic Litigation Team at the Public Defenders Office, Erim is well versed in cell phone forensics and its application in the law. 

Erim also believes we can learn from the experiences of other cities who have had success in reducing the prevalence of domestic violence. Erim has been meeting with domestic violence experts to study the best programs across the country and what other places in our own state have achieved. Outside the courtroom Erim pledges to continue this study to rebuild a rehabilitation program that focuses on more than just the offender. The reality of combating domestic violence must be centered on rehabilitating victims and families as well. As judge, Erim believes in a mosaic approach to domestic violence services. One size fits all approaches do not work, and as Judge Erim would allow victims and stakeholders options on their road to ending abuse.

Outside of his law practice, Erim is married to Selden Humphreys Sarinoglu and is a proud new father. In his spare time Erim coaches the Memphis University School mock trial team and has served on Mayor Lee Harris’ Young Professionals Council.

If you think it's time for a new generation to start smart criminal justice reform in Shelby County, vote Erim Sarinoglu for General Session Criminal Court Division 10 Judge on Election Day August 4th, 2022 county-wide or Early Voting July 15th through the 30th.