Circuit Court Judge Don Ash of Murfreesboro will step down from the 16th Judicial District position that he has held for 18-years to take senior judge status effective September 1st.

Senior judges are appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court and may be assigned on a temporary basis to hear cases in any state court. With the addition of Judge Ash, there will be four senior judges statewide.

A successor to Judge Ash will be appointed by Governor Bill Haslam to serve until 2014 when the office will be on the ballot. Applications seeking the appointment will be screened by the state Judicial Selection Commission and three names will be presented to the governor for consideration.  

Judge Ash stated…

“I am truly honored the Tennessee Supreme Court has appointed me to serve as a Senior Judge for our great state. The opportunity to try all types of cases across Tennessee, as well as sitting on various appellate courts, will certainly be a challenge but I am truly excited about this new phase of my judicial career. I am also grateful the Courts has agreed to let me continue to serve in my current capacity until Governor Haslam appoints someone to replace me on the bench.”