In addition to judges, Tennessee voters will be electing public defenders and attorney generals to be at the helm of those judicial activities within the judicial districts.
The 12th Judicial District, comprised of Bledsoe, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Rhea and Sequatchie counties, will have Republican candidates for the public defender and district attorney general in 2022. Read more below about candidates Ted Engel and Assistant District Attorney Courtney Lynch.
A tenth-generation Tennessean with roots in Rhea County stretching back two centuries, Ted grew up just outside the small, rural town of Dayton. He was raised by two hardworking parents who taught him the importance of integrity, honesty, and a full day’s labor. As a child living in the town famous for the Scopes Trial of 1925, Ted dreamed of becoming an attorney from a very young age.
After finishing high school as the valedictorian of his class, Ted attended Tennessee Technological University, graduating in three years of study with a Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude, in political science. He then proceeded to the University of Tennessee College of Law, where he earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence, cum laude, with a concentration in advocacy and dispute resolution. After graduation, Ted returned to his hometown of Dayton and opened a small business offering legal services to the community with a practice consisting primarily of family law, estate planning, and criminal defense.
In 2013, Ted joined the Hamilton County District Public Defender’s Office as an assistant public defender. Since that time, he has represented thousands of clients accused of crimes ranging in severity from public intoxication to first degree murder. Ted rose through the ranks of his office, eventually becoming a supervisor managing a team of five other attorneys responsible for representing defendants in ten different courts with jurisdiction over the fourth most populous county in the state. He also initiated the office’s first in-house training program designed to develop and foster trial skills among his fellow assistant public defenders.
In 2018, Ted became a founding team member of the Hamilton County General Sessions Recovery Court. This program was initiated to fill a critical gap in the treatment options available to criminal defendants who suffer from drug and alcohol dependency, targeting those charged with misdemeanor offenses for intervention to hopefully divert them from the criminal justice system and help prevent more serious criminal conduct. Ted serves as the Public Defender’s representative on the Court, advocating for the needs, interests, and wishes of those enrolled in the program.
After nearly a decade of practicing law, Ted decided to further develop his litigation skills by pursuing a Master of Laws in trial advocacy from the Temple University Beasley School of Law, widely considered to be the best such program in the entire country. There, he joined students from around the world in receiving intense instruction in trial skills training from many of America’s most skilled trial attorneys. Continuing to work full-time as an assistant public defender throughout the program, Ted earned his Master of Laws, with distinction, and was awarded the Faculty Award, recognizing him as his graduating class’ most outstanding student in courtroom presentation and performance.
A staunch advocate of the rule of law, small government, and individual rights, Ted is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Chattanooga Bar Association, the Rhea County Republican Party, the Gun Owners of America, and the Second Amendment Foundation. Ted is a life member of the National Rifle Association.
Ted lives in Dayton with his wonderful wife, Ashley, an emergency room nurse and doctoral student. They live on a small farm with their son, Theodore, and two large dogs, Remington and Daisy, where they raise chickens, ducks, and endangered Narragansett turkeys. Ted is passionate about history, promoting individual liberty and advancing conservative political ideals. In his spare time, he enjoys working on his farm, hiking, and sport shooting.
Learn more about Ted Engel at his website tedengel.com or on social media Facebook , Twitter or Instagram.
I want to serve you as the District Attorney General for the 12th Judicial District of Tennessee (Bledsoe, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Rhea and Sequatchie counties). I am a Republican candidate and the right person for the job. I have the knowledge, experience, character and conservative values to make our district safe.
In 1998 I graduated summa cum laude from the University of Alabama with a degree in Business Administration. I graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2001. I had a law practice in Winchester until I went to work for the State of Tennessee as an Assistant District Attorney in 2012. I work primarily in Franklin County, but I am familiar with the other courts in the district. Over the last 10 years I have handled all types of criminal cases from misdemeanors in General Sessions Court to high level felonies including many homicides in Circuit Court. I have been honored to teach classes to law enforcement officers and other prosecutors.
I was raised and now I am raising my family in Franklin County. I have been married to Brooks Lynch for twenty-three years and we have three teenagers – Isaac (18), Olivia (16), and Evan (16). As a Christian I have been very involved in our church and in our community. I have the integrity and strong moral compass to make the tough decisions that are often necessary. I will work tirelessly to protect our communities for your family and mine. I will vigorously prosecute crime, work to prevent crime, seek justice for victims, and support law enforcement.
While recognizing that the accused have constitutional rights that should be protected, my office will vigorously prosecute crime. The past couple of years have shown us that there are those who wish to eliminate personal accountability. In 1904, Justice Oliver Wendall Holmes said, “At the present time in this country there is more danger that criminals will escape justice than they will be subjected to tyranny.” Kapner v. United States, 195 U.S. 100, 134 (1904). Over a century later that statement aptly describes the state of law enforcement in much of our country. In Tennessee we have been relatively insulated from such movements, largely due to the efforts of strong conservative leaders in all three branches of our state government. I pledge to apply those same conservative principles. I will carry a caseload in addition to administrative duties to make the office run more efficiently.
I will enthusiastically work to prevent crime by collaborating with community shareholders. Rehabilitation is an essential component of crime prevention. I pledge to work closely with the recovery court, the re-entry program, and similar organizations in our district.
I will prioritize seeking justice for victims. District Attorneys are public servants first. Victims are likely going through the most difficult period of their lives. They deserve empathy, respect, communication and resources. I will make sure that child support obligations are fully enforced. I will aggressively prosecute crimes that victimize the most vulnerable of our society. I will utilize the district’s Child Advocacy Centers in the prosecution of crimes against children, and I will offer my full support to them in their effort to help victims heal. I will employ statutes that significantly increase the penalty for crimes against elderly and vulnerable adults to hold offenders fully accountable.
I will support law enforcement in seeking the truth. Prosecutors are held to a higher standard than other attorneys. Our job is to seek the truth, not just a win. That standard applies to law enforcement as well. My grandfather worked in law enforcement for fifty-four years until dying while on duty at the age of 76. Our law enforcement heroes are dedicated to order, peace and public safety. Working closely with so many of them as an Assistant District Attorney, I have seen the personal sacrifices they make for their community. They often go beyond what the job requires. As in any profession there are a few exceptions, but the overwhelming majority are honest, humble and professional. I promise to advocate for and support them by offering increased educational opportunities from and access to my office. As District Attorney I will work to create new relationships and repair old ones by improving communication with law enforcement at all levels – local, state and federal.
I humbly ask for your prayers, your support and your vote in the Republican Primary on May 3rd.
Follow candidate Courtney Lynch on Facebook here