Carol Chumney | |
---|---|
Member of the Memphis City Council from the 5th district | |
In office 2004–2008 | |
Preceded by | John Vergos |
Succeeded by | Jim Strickland |
Member of the TennesseeHouseofRepresentatives from the 89th district | |
In office January 8, 1991 –October 20, 2003 | |
Preceded by | Pamela Gaia |
Succeeded by | Beverly Marrero |
Personal details | |
Born | Carolyn Jean Chumney February 13, 1961 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Residence(s) | Memphis, Tennessee |
Alma mater | University of Memphis |
Occupation | Lawyer |
Carolyn Jean Chumney (born February 13, 1961) is an American lawyer and politician from the U.S. state of Tennessee. She served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1991 to 2003. She represented the fifth district (East Memphis and Midtown) on the Memphis, Tennessee City Council from 2004 to 2007. Chumney came in second place in the Democratic primary for Shelby County mayor in 2002, [1] and within 7 points of being elected the first woman Memphis mayor in 2007. [2] Chumney was a leading attorney taking the fight for election security to the U.S. Supreme Court and Congress. [3] She is also the author of "The Arena: One Woman's Story" [Lady Justice Publishing 2021], which has gained national recognition, including First Place At-Large Autobiography, by the National Federation of Press Women. Chumney is now an elected Shelby County Circuit Court Judge (Memphis metropolitan area) and took office on September 1, 2022, after winning the countywide election.
She attended school at:
As a Presidential Scholar, she earned her B.A. in economics and history with honors, magna cum laude, and was student government president (1982–83).
Chumney earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Memphis Law School in 1986, as a Herff Law Scholar. During law school she was the editor-in-chief of the law review.
As a trial attorney, Chumney began her private practice in 1987, at Glankler Brown law firm, where she later became a partner. Later she had her own law office in the White Station Tower. In 2001, she was honored by the Association for Women Attorneys for outstanding achievements in and for the legal profession.
From her election to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1990, [4] over thirteen years Carol rose to various leadership positions, including chair of the House Children & Family Affairs Standing Committee, House Majority Whip, and chair of the Shelby County delegation. She passed the child care reform law as reported in Time magazine, The New York Times , and statewide news publications. She also secured the $200,000 state grant to create the UT Memphis Center for Women's Health. She is now an elected Shelby County Circuit Court Judge ( Memphis metropolitan area) and took the countywide office on September 1, 2022.
Chumney has been recognized for her leadership with awards
She created and hosts Tennessee Lookout, a public information show on the Library Channel 18. [5]
Shelby County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 929,744. It is the largest of the state's 95 counties, both in terms of population and geographic area. Its county seat is Memphis, a port on the Mississippi River and the second most populous city in Tennessee. The county was named for Governor Isaac Shelby (1750–1826) of Kentucky. It is one of only two remaining counties in Tennessee with a majority African American population, along with Haywood County.
The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.
Willie Wilbert Herenton is an American politician from Memphis, Tennessee. He was elected as the first elected African-American Mayor of Memphis, Tennessee. He was elected to five consecutive terms and abruptly resigned the position mid-way through his fifth term in 2009.
Joseph Blakeney Brown Jr., known professionally as Judge Joe Brown, is an American former lawyer and television personality. He is a former Shelby County, Tennessee Criminal Court judge and a former arbiter of the arbitration-based reality court show Judge Joe Brown.
The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law is an American Bar Association accredited law school and is the only law school in Memphis, Tennessee. The school has been associated with the University of Memphis since the law school's formation in 1962. The school was named in honor of former University president Cecil C. Humphreys. It is also referred to as U of M Law, Memphis Law, or Memphis Law School.
Memphis-Shelby County Schools(MSCS), previously known as Shelby County Schools (SCS), is a public school district that serves the city of Memphis, Tennessee, United States, as well as most of the unincorporated areas of Shelby County. MSCS is the 23rd largest school district in the United States and the largest in Tennessee.
Julia Smith Gibbons is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Janice Marie Holder is an American judge who served as a circuit court judge for Tennessee's Division II Circuit Court in the 30th district, served as the third woman justice on the Tennessee Supreme Court from 1996 until 2014, and was the first female Chief Justice of Tennessee on the Tennessee Supreme Court from 2008 until her retirement in 2014.
Lambert Estes Gwinn was a Tennessee educator, politician, and attorney. He served as a state senator (1919–1921) and ran for governor in the Democratic primaries in 1922 and 1930. As a prominent criminal and appellate lawyer, he represented many clients before the Tennessee Supreme Court, the United States Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.
Bill Gibbons is the Executive Director at The Public Safety Institute at the University of Memphis. Gibbons was previously Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security until 2016. He was appointed to the post by the Governor of Tennessee, Bill Haslam. He is a former District Attorney General of the 30th Judicial District of Tennessee, which includes Shelby County and the city of Memphis, Tennessee. He was a Republican candidate in the 2010 Tennessee gubernatorial election, but dropped out on March 26, 2010 due to "lack of sufficient campaign funds to go forward."
D'Army Bailey was an American lawyer, circuit court judge, civil rights activist, author, and film actor. Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, he served as a city councilman in Berkeley, California, from 1971 to 1973.
Raumesh Aleza Akbari is an American politician and member of the Tennessee Senate for the 29th district since 2019. She was formerly a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives for the 91st district. She currently serves as First Vice Chair of the Education Committee, and a member of the Commerce and Labor Committee, and the Ethics Subcommittee. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
The 2015 Memphis mayoral election took place on October 8, 2015, to elect the next mayor of Memphis, Tennessee. Incumbent Democratic Mayor A C Wharton ran for re-election to a second full term in office. He was defeated by Memphis City Councilman Jim Strickland, a fellow Democrat, who earned a plurality of the vote and became the first White mayor of Memphis in more than two decades.
David Frank Kustoff is an American politician and attorney serving as the United States representative from Tennessee's 8th congressional district. The district includes the bulk of West Tennessee, but most of its population is in the eastern part of the Memphis area, including the eastern fourth of Memphis itself. From 2006 to 2008, Kustoff served as a United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. He is one of two Jewish Republicans in Congress, alongside Max Miller.
Elections in Tennessee are held to fill various local, state, and federal seats. Special elections may be held to fill vacancies at other points in time. Statewide legislative referrals and referendums may also be on the ballot in some elections. Tennessee is one of thirteen states that holds its presidential primaries on Super Tuesday.
Marion Scudder Griffin was an American lawyer, and the first woman to practice law in Tennessee.
Tami Sawyer is an American politician and civil rights activist. She was elected in August 2018 as Shelby County Commissioner for District 7 and resides in Memphis, Tennessee. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She serves as chair of the Education and Legislative committees. She is chair of the Shelby County Commission Black Caucus. As of 2024, Sawyer is running for election as the Shelby County General Sessions Court Clerk.
The 2023 Memphis mayoral election took place on October 5, 2023, to elect the next mayor of Memphis, Tennessee. Incumbent Jim Strickland was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a third term in office. The election used the plurality vote system, with no possibility of a runoff. The election was officially non-partisan, but several candidates were affiliated with political parties.
Mary Louise Wagner is an American lawyer who is the designate to serve as a justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court.