Don Ash Re-Elected Presiding Judge Of The Court Of The Judiciary

NASHVILLE – Circuit Court Judge Don Ash of the 16th Judicial District has been elected to a fourth term as presiding judge of the Tennessee Court of the Judiciary.

The 16-member panel receives complaints against judges and imposes sanctions for violations of the Code of Judicial Conduct.

Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Janice M. Holder congratulated Ash on his reelection and thanked him for his service.

“I commend Judge Ash and the members of the Court of the Judiciary for their ongoing efforts to ensure that all Tennesseans who enter our courtrooms are treated fairly and with the respect they deserve,” Holder said.

Ash, whose judicial district includes Rutherford and Cannon counties, said he is “truly honored that the members of the Tennessee Court of the Judiciary continue to have faith in my work as presiding judge.”

“Maintaining a high standard of judicial ethics is essential to the administration of justice and I am committed to ensuring that Tennessee judges meet these standards,” Ash said. “I also want to thank my staff and the other judges of the 16th Judicial District for their support and for allowing me to assume this additional responsibility."

Ash, of Murfreesboro, has been a Circuit Court judge since 1994. He previously served as city judge in LaVergne and was in the private practice of law. He is a past-president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference, which includes all of the state’s appellate and trial judges, and has been a member of the Court of the Judiciary since his 2003 appointment by the Tennessee Supreme Court.

He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Middle Tennessee State University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1980 from Memphis State School of Law. In 2000, he became the first Tennessee judge to obtain a Masters Degree in Judicial Studies from the University of Nevada in Reno.

He is married to Rita Ash and has four children.