The 12th Judicial District is made up of Bledsoe, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Rhea and Sequatchie counties. Circuit Courts are courts of general jurisdiction in Tennessee. Circuit court judges hear civil and criminal cases and appeals of decisions from Juvenile, Municipal, and General Sessions Courts. The jurisdiction of circuit courts often overlaps that of the chancery courts. The 12th District Circuit Court has 3 parts, the presiding judge of which is elected in separate offices on the ballot. Thus far, each announced candidate is running for a separate office, or part, of the circuit court. Incumbent Republican Judge Justin Angel has announced running for reelection as Circuit Court Judge, part 3. The two incumbent judges, parts 1 and 2, are both Democrats and are not running for reelection. All announced candidates will be on the May 3 Republican primary ballot in the 12th district counties.
Check out information about the candidates below:
Part 1 Candidate, Bradley Sherman
My name is Bradley Sherman, and I want to be your next Circuit Court Judge for Part 1. I am proud to call the 12th Judicial District home. As a first-generation attorney and a conservative Republican, my heart is with the people and places of rural Tennessee. My wife, Courtney Sherman, is a busy large-animal veterinarian and all around country girl. We are both members of Cowan First Baptist Church. Together, we are raising our wonderful son, Oliver, in my hometown of Cowan, Tennessee.
I was born and raised in Franklin County and blessed with two hard-working parents that love the Lord and love this Country. With their help, I studied English literature and political science at Middle Tennessee State University; got my degree; went to work as a laborer at Arnold Air Force Base; enrolled in The Nashville School of Law; and earned my juris doctorate in the evenings.
Licensed in 2010, I moved to East Tennessee, where Courtney attended the UT College of Veterinary Medicine while I began practicing in Knoxville and the surrounding counties. For the next four years I was privileged to work with some great attorneys and judges, representing clients in courtrooms from Memphis to Kingsport. During these formative times, I argued cases everywhere from traffic court in Lebanon to the Tennessee Court of Appeals and all points in between. Those years helped to lay the solid foundation upon which I have built my experience; working in criminal courts, handling child welfare cases, practicing family law, and arguing a wide variety of civil matters.
Since returning home to Franklin County, I have represented folks from all over the region. I have continually sought to build the kind of experience a Judge needs, training as a mediator at the Lipscomb University Institute for Conflict Management and ultimately joining the District Attorney General’s Office for the neighboring 17th Judicial District. Today I work full-time as a prosecutor, represent the DA’s Office on the Lincoln County Recovery Court team, and have assisted in developing training programs for the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference. I have served as the Municipal Judge for my hometown since December 2016, and enjoy filling in for other Municipal Judges as needed. I am a member of the Tennessee Bar Association and the Tennessee Municipal Judges Conference, admitted to practice in all Tennessee State Courts and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.
Since May 3rd, 2021, I have been traveling the 12th District, working to earn your vote in order to put my experience as a small-town attorney, prosecutor, and Municipal Judge to work serving the people of Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Sequatchie, Bledsoe, and Rhea Counties. My pledge to y’all is that I will be the tough, honest, and fair Judge that our communities deserve.
Campaign Info for Bradley Sherman:
Part 2 Candidate, John “Cam” Cameron
“As the 2022 election cycle quickly approaches, I am pleased to announce my candidacy for one of two anticipated vacancies as a Circuit Court Judge for the 12th Judicial District. The diversity of my law practice and post-college work history position me to be a capable and effective Circuit Court Judge of the 12th Judicial District. As a current Municipal Court Judge, and before, I have always strived to be fair but firm, and to try to do what is just and right. While there will be big shoes to fill (with the anticipated retirement of Judges Thomas W. Graham and J. Curtis Smith), I pledge to be a common-sense Judge with a big dose of humility. At the end of the day, if I am fortunate enough to serve, I will work for the entire district and all the people who come before the Court.”
Cameron currently serves as the Municipal Judge for the City of South Pittsburg, sits as a Special Judge for the General Sessions Court in Marion County, and has served on numerous boards. In 2012, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET), a non-profit law firm with six offices offering representation to low-income individuals across 28 East Tennessee counties. Cameron is a member of the Board’s Executive Committee and is currently President-Elect of the Board of Directors.
In 2019, Cameron was appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court as a Disciplinary Hearing Committee Member for the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility.
The third-generation attorney whose ties to the Sequatchie Valley date back more than a century, is in practice with his father, J. Harvey Cameron as a partner in the firm Cameron &
Cameron, P.C.. Cameron has nearly 19 years of experience handling both civil and criminal matters – the very cases that come before the Circuit Court.
Cameron wants to thank the many individuals who have encouraged him to seek the position and looks forward to earning the support and trust of those whom he wishes to serve.
Part 3 Candidate, Incumbent Judge Justin Angel
Circuit Court Judge Justin C. Angel announced he is seeking re-election to the bench in 2022. Judge Angel was elected in 2014, and presides over civil and criminal matters as well as jury trials in the 12th Judicial District. That district is comprised of Bledsoe, Sequatchie, Rhea, Marion, Franklin and Grundy Counties.
Judge Angel said, “It is an absolute honor and privilege to serve our judicial system as a Circuit Court Judge. I was humbled by the overwhelming support and votes in 2014, and I’m respectfully asking the citizens of the 12th Judicial District for their encouragement and votes in 2022.”
Judge Angel has presided over several high profile cases, including homicide trials. In 2019 Judge Angel ordered the release of Adam Braseel, who was wrongfully convicted and incarcerated for a 2006 murder in Grundy County, which drew national attention to the issue of wrongful convictions and injustice.
As a Circuit Court judge for the past seven years, Judge Angel has held a variety of positions both statewide and locally. He has twice served on the Executive Committee for the Tennessee Judicial Conference. His education background includes 2010 graduate of John Marshall Law School, J.D., a BA in political science in 2003 from University of Tennessee, and high school graduation from Bledsoe High School, 1999.
He is a current member of the state Courtroom Security and Courtroom Technology committees. In 2020, Judge Angel was instrumental in securing $300,440 in grants to the 12th Judicial District for courtroom technology upgrades districtwide, as well as enhanced security measures for all district courtrooms. This new technology helped the courts to operate virtually during the pandemic, it was stated.
Judge Angel has served as the Presiding Judge of the 12th district, and is the current President of the 12th Judicial District Bar Association.
He said, “I hope to continue my work and life’s dedication to the law and justice for another term as a Circuit Court Judge.”
Judge Angel will be running in the Republican Primary in May of 2022, and the General Election in August of 2022 in the 12th Judicial District, Part III.
