Circuit Court Judge Bragg Announces Re-election Bid

May 28, 2014 at 02:04 pm by bryan


MURFREESBORO – 16th Judicial District Circuit Court Judge David Bragg announced he will run for a second term. “My experiences as a small businessman, husband, father, and lawyer representing clients in all types of cases prepared me to serve as a judge”, Bragg said. “Judges need a broad base of experiences to be able to relate to the people who appear before them." The Circuit Court, 16th District, Division II handles criminal, domestic and civil cases in Rutherford and Cannon County.

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“Judges should base their decisions on the law and the facts; not how much money someone has or what political party they support. Judges should be impartial, independent and have a broad range of legal experience. I’ve worked with judges, law enforcement officers and members of the community to promote and maintain respect for the law and to improve judicial efficiencies,” Bragg said.

Bragg has over 20 years of experience in the legal profession as a lawyer and a judge. Prior to his election to the bench in 2008, Bragg was a private practice attorney for 14 years, serving as partner at Bragg, Mansfield and Stegall in Murfreesboro where he represented clients in all areas of the law, including criminal, domestic and civil law. As
a judge, Bragg has presided over and disposed of over 7,400 criminal cases and 1,900 civil cases.

In 2012, Bragg became the presiding judge for the 16th District Rutherford County Recovery Court, which includes the Drug Court and DUI Court. About 400 individuals have graduated from the Recovery Court, since its inception in 1998. The 12- to 18-month program requires participants to undergo weekly drug screens, find employment,
get treatment, complete their education, get their driver’s licenses reinstated and pay their court costs and fines.

“Our court has been recognized as a Mentor Court by the state,” Bragg said. “Once participants graduate from the program, 80 percent of them will never see another set of handcuffs, as opposed to those who go to jail and 80 percent of them are re-arrested within two years of release. Recovery Courts save taxpayers thousands of dollars by
keeping non-violent offenders out of jail and making them work and pay for their treatment. It costs the County $5,000 per individual per year to participate in the Recovery Court instead of over $30,000 a year it costs to house an inmate in jail.”

“It is a great responsibility and an honor to serve as Circuit Court Judge. I’ve worked hard to reflect the values of our community and to treat everyone who appears before
the Court with respect and dignity,” Bragg said.

Bragg worked with the Rutherford County Mayor’s and Sheriff’s offices in 2009 to secure a grant to install a video communication system between the jail and the Judicial Building to reduce the need to transport prisoners from the jail to the courthouse. For the past two years, he has held a weekly early morning docket at the jail as part of a
program developed with the County Mayor and Sheriff to reduce the costs of housing and transporting prisoners who may be eligible for release.

Bragg serves on the Tennessee Judicial Conference Executive Committee and the Tennessee Criminal Pattern Jury Instruction Committee. He was an adjunct faculty member at Middle Tennessee State University and was recently appointed to the Nashville School of Law faculty.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Bragg gained experience as a small business owner as publisher of the Cannon Courier in Woodbury.

Bragg attended Hobgood Elementary and Central High School before receiving his undergraduate degree at University of Tennessee-Knoxville, a Master’s Degree from Middle Tennessee State University, and a law degree from the Nashville School of Law. He is a member of the Blue Raider Athletic Association, the American Bar Association Criminal Division and the Rutherford/Cannon County Bar Association and is president of the Andrew Jackson American Inn of Court.

Bragg and his wife of 39 years, Nancy, have two grown children. They are active members of First Baptist Church, where he serves as a deacon.

Election Day for Circuit Court Judge, 16th Judicial District, Division II, is Aug. 7. Early voting begins July 18.

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