When you stand in a courtroom, your perspective depends entirely on where you are sitting. If you spend your whole career at the prosecution table, you see the world through the lens of state evidence, victim advocacy, and securing convictions. If you spend your entire life at the defense table, your focus is entirely on constitutional protections, challenging the state’s narrative, and shielding the accused. Both roles are vital to our legal system, but neither one gives you the full picture.

A criminal court judge shouldn't have a blind spot.

For nearly twenty years, I have walked the halls of the Shelby County justice system, and I have done something very few candidates in this race have done: I have spent years sitting at both tables. I have carried the heavy burden of prosecuting organized crime and protecting child victims, and I have carried the equally heavy weight of defending juvenile offenders who felt completely forgotten by the world.

When a judge looks out from the bench, they shouldn’t just see a case file, a docket number, or a political opportunity. They need to understand exactly how the gears of the system turn on both sides. Because I have lived on both sides of that line, I know exactly how a case is built, and I know exactly where it can fall apart. I know when the state has done its homework, and I know when a defense motion carries real constitutional merit versus when it is just legal theater.

In a Division VIII race packed with eight different candidates, the easy path is to pick a side and beat a drum. It’s easy to campaign as only a tough prosecutor or only an advocate for the defense. But a courtroom is not a political rally. It is a place where lives are fundamentally altered in a matter of minutes. The decisions made from that bench have massive ripples that impact victim safety, public trust, and individual liberties.

I chose to run for Criminal Court Judge because I believe Shelby County deserves a leader who doesn't need on-the-job training. My experience means that I cannot be easily manipulated by legal posturing from either side. I know the tricks, I know the pressures, and I know the law.

More importantly, sitting at both tables has given me a deep sense of humility. It has taught me that justice isn’t a conveyor belt; it’s a delicate, complex process that demands absolute preparation and an unwavering commitment to fairness. When I am on the bench, both the prosecution and the defense will know they are standing before a judge who has walked in their shoes, who understands their burdens, and who will rule strictly on the law, without bias, every single day.