A few years ago, after spending nearly two decades absorbing the secondary trauma that comes with prosecuting special victims and defending juvenile offenders, I hit a wall. Criminal law takes a piece of you if you do it right. You carry the tears of victims and the heavy realities of broken homes with you when you leave the office.

My husband is a civil attorney at FedEx, and looking at his practice, I remember thinking, Maybe it’s time to try the quiet road. I decided to take a position with the Memphis City Attorney’s office under Mayor Strickland.

The job was good, the hours were stable, and the work was professional. But then, September 2022 happened.

Our community went through an incredibly dark, terrifying stretch of high-profile violent crime that left all of Shelby County shaken to its core. Like everyone else, I sat in my home, looked at my children, and felt that deep, heavy anxiety about the safety of our city. But unlike many others, I realized I possessed a very specific, highly specialized skillset. I had twenty years of criminal law experience and over sixty jury trials under my belt.

I looked at myself in the mirror and realized that answering lawsuits and doing civil work, while honorable, wasn't where my city needed me most. I felt a distinct, unmistakable calling to return to the arena. I picked up the phone, resigned from my stable civil job, and went right back to the District Attorney’s office to prosecute serious criminal offenses.

I didn't choose the easy road; I chose the hard road because Shelby County is my home.

That choice tells you exactly who I am as a candidate and who I will be as your judge. I am not seeking this bench for a title, a pay raise, or a political stepping stone. If I wanted an easier legal career, I would have stayed in civil practice. I am running for Division VIII because our justice system is facing an absolute crisis of leadership and stability, and I refuse to sit on the sidelines when I have the experience to help fix it.

Our courtrooms need judges who treat public service as a calling, not a career move. My return to criminal law in a time of crisis proved my commitment to this community. As your judge, I will bring that exact same sense of urgency, duty, and devotion to the bench every single day.