Election 2022
GOP Primary, Knox County General Sessions Judge Division II
Knox County’s Primary is May 3, and early voting begins (today) Wednesday, April 13 and runs through Wednesday, April 28. Early voting locations include Farragut Town Hall and Downtown West. Visit https://www.knoxcounty.org/election/ for specific times and more locations.
Farragutpress is profiling several Republican candidates in the weeks ahead because no Democratic-contested Primary elections involve, either directly or indirectly, the Farragut area.
This will change, of course, to include Democratic candidates in the Knox County General Election Aug. 4, which is also Election Day in the Town of Farragut.
Most GOP profiles are taken from candidates who presented their cases for being elected within the Town of Farragut — specifically the Concord-Farragut Republican Club — in February and March.
None of these profiles exceeds 400 words. If one is noticeably shorter than others, it’s only because that candidate cut his/her presentation short.
These profiles will continue weekly until the issue prior to the Tuesday, May 3, Knox County Primary election.
• Judd Davis, incumbent, was “born and raised” in Knoxville, and attended Nashville School of Law.
As an undergraduate student at the University of Tennessee, “I worked in the Public Defender’s office for four years. While I was there. I got some great experience, got to participate in some investigations; led the high school intern program through the Knox County Schools.
“… While I was in law school I spent the first year working for a private law firm in Nashville; the last part of my law school career I worked here in the Knox County Register of Deeds office.
“Dealing with the public there was a really good experience, to learn how to deal with and handle some impatient folks who, maybe, were victims of crimes ... ”
General Session Court “is most folks’ first appearance in the courtroom, no matter whether you’re a victim, accused of a crime or suing or being sued civilly.”
Working at a law firm in Knoxville, “We had just a little bit of everything. It was a good experience being in front of those other judges in General Sessions Court, seeing how they operate, what they do.
“I’ve been involved in the political process my whole life, and I kinda got to a point in my career where I thought, ‘I want to help, I want to be involved. Where will I be able to help the most? And then I realized ... I wanted to ... be a General Sessions judge.
“So I went to work for the District Attorney General’s office; I was an assistant DA prosecuting cases. Most of the time I was there I was in Sessions Court; I spent a short time in Criminal Court ...”
Davis also added, “… I think we need to address — and I think it’s being addressed — a mental health board for these folks who have mental issues that really need some special attention.”
• Sharon Frankenberg, Knox County Judicial Magistrate, is a Farragut High School graduate whose law degree came from the University of Tennessee.
“I took a bar exam in Tennessee, and I took a bar exam in Missouri because I had an opportunity to work there for a year. I’ve worked in law firms in Knoxville for a total of 33 years; sole practice as well. …
“I have a lot of experience; as an attorney I was an insurance defense attorney when I started; I went into creditor work in bankruptcy in General Sessions Court. I represented landlord and tenants for 33 years in that court.
“I have done a lot of work in all parts of East Tennessee.
“I’ve been a judicial magistrate and a judicial commissioner for eight years. My term expires three years from now.
“I have got an interest in serving our community. I’ve been in Knoxville for more than 50 years. I have family that lives in Farragut.
“… We all care about being safe in our homes. We care about our judicial system being fair to all the people who participate — not just the judges, not just the lawyers, but the people who are there defending themselves against criminal charges; the people who are there who don’t know why they are there. … Our jails are full of people who don’t know why they’re there because they are not cognizant of being able to make choices.
“One of the best things judges have in common is they know how to listen. … Most (people going to court) don’t do that on a regular basis, and they need to be heard. And I think that is one of the attributes that I have.
“My personality is fairly patient. I can be soft-spoken, but I can also raise my voice when necessary.
“General Sessions Court receives the most number of people on a constant basis. … Most of the time General Sessions Court is handling criminal cases; they do the initial hearings for most all of the criminal cases. As magistrates, we do the initial hearing if there is probable cause to issue an arrest warrant.”
