Rutherford county juvenile court judge

A bill seeks to regulate the arrests of juveniles after former Rutherford County Juvenile Court Judge Donna Scott Davenport, in green judicial robes, came under fire in for the detention of more than a thousand children. Photo: RutherfordCountyTN.

For two decades, Judge Donna Scott Davenport oversaw the illegal arrests and detentions of more than a thousand children in her Rutherford County courtroom. Her actions eventually caught up with her — the county settled a multi-million dollar lawsuit, and an investigation by WPLN News and ProPublica brought to light what had been happening for years, unchecked. Lawmakers called for her ousting, the governor asked for a review and Middle Tennessee State University cut ties with the judge. There were nationwide calls for reform. Almost Nothing Happened to the Adults in Charge. As pressure mounted Davenport announced her retirement as juvenile court judge one afternoon in January, leaving the community to pick a new judge to fill her seat. In a recent WGNS radio forum , he was asked how he would rebuild trust.

Rutherford county juvenile court judge

Donna Scott Davenport born Scott is the first judge to have overseen the Rutherford County, Tennessee juvenile justice system, filling the newly created position in She presided over the juvenile court and legal system for the county, appointed magistrates formerly, referees , set protocols, directed police and heard cases involving minors, including parents charged with child neglect. She subsequently received bachelor's, then master's degrees in criminal justice from MTSU , followed by a J. She wrote the Tennessee State bar exam about a year after graduation. After failing the exam four times, Davenport passed in , on her fifth attempt, [1] then began teaching as an adjunct professor of criminal justice at MTSU the following year. Davenport was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in , nine years after receiving a law degree. She left the law firm and became a full-time court referee in The following year, the county violated federal law times by keeping kids incarcerated for longer than legally allowed. Interviewed, Davenport estimated that half of the noted violations were levied for children uttering curse words to her or another, for which she typically punished them with between two and 10 days in jail, despite admitting to the illegality of the sentence: "Was I in violation? But am I going to allow a child to cuss anyone out? Heck, no. She was subsequently elected twice, unopposed, as the incumbent, in and , to two full eight-year terms as Judge of the Juvenile Court of Rutherford County. Her current term expires in September Murfreesboro Magazine named her a recipient of a Women in Business award. In her role as sole juvenile court judge, Davenport devised a unique, so-called "filter system" aside from federal or local processes.

Johnson said she is reviewing the legislation but supports the move to protect children' rights. The court wrote that the "illegal detention" is causing "irreparable harm every day" to children in the jurisdiction.

Rutherford County is suing its insurance provider for refusing to cover its settlement in a large class action lawsuit over its unlawful policies for arresting and detaining children. The county was sued over its juvenile court polices, which led to more than a thousand children being illegally arrested and jailed. Rutherford County is suing on three counts, including breach of contract. What this means, for now, is that Rutherford County has used taxpayer money to foot the bill for the settlement, when it expected to be covered by insurance. The story chronicled how the county had illegally arrested and jailed children for years, all under the watch of former Judge Donna Scott Davenport. Shortly after, Davenport announced her retirement.

Juvenile court judge Donna Scott Davenport , one of the last elected leaders still in office after being tied to Rutherford County's decades-long history of illegally arresting and jailing children, announced Tuesday afternoon she won't seek re-election later this year. The announcement came one day after Democratic Party lawmakers in the Tennessee General Assembly said they were seeking legislation to oust Davenport. Kyle Mothershead, who represented plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit settled in December, said the county illegally arrested and incarcerated children before Davenport came to office in Still, he responded to Tuesday's news with condemnation and relief. Davenport and the county's juvenile detention center has faced national criticism for policies that led to multiple lawsuits and the illegal incarcerations of thousands of children on misdemeanor or made-up charges. The policies led to children being handcuffed at school and jailed.

Rutherford county juvenile court judge

Lampley later began practicing law in Murfreesboro, TN with a focus on family law. He served as Disciplinary Counsel for the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Supreme Court of Tennessee where he was responsible for ethical complaints against licensed attorneys in Tennessee. Lampley completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. Lampley is actively involved in his community. He was most recently Past Chair of the Murfreesboro City Schools Foundation and enjoys participating in local philanthropic events. He is an active participant and presenter in the local chapter of the Andrew Jackson American Inns of Court. Search Search. Juvenile Court Judiciary Due to the large caseload in Juvenile Court, one Judge cannot hear every case that is brought before the Court.

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We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Read Edit View history. Download as PDF Printable version. Retrieved October 11, Retrieved July 17, Retrieved November 21, A yard sign supports Rutherford County juvenile judge candidate Travis Lampley. Sam Stockard is a veteran Tennessee reporter and editor, having written for the Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro, where he served as lead editor when the paper won an award for being the state's best Sunday newspaper two years in a row. Her current term expires in September The case is related to other lawsuits that followed the illegal arrests and jailing of children in at Hobgood Elementary and other locations in Murfreesboro following an off-campus fight and bullying incident on neighborhood yards. About 1, were eligible for a claim in the class-action case based on the statute of limitations. Judge of county juvenile justice system that was subject of Pulitzer-nominated expose'. She announced in January she'd finish her eight-year term by the end of August rather than seek re-election. Facebook Twitter Email. The Rutherford County Commission was assembling a new Juvenile Detention Board to "oversee incarceration operations", effectively replacing Davenport and her successors as oversight for juvenile detention staff, which is led by its director, Lynn Duke.

After lawmakers said they were looking to unseat her , Rutherford County's juvenile court judge announced Tuesday she would retire from the bench at the end of her term. Judge Donna Scott Davenport was the first female judge to serve in Rutherford County and the first independent juvenile court judge by private act. I wish my successor the best and hope that this job provides them the same fulfillment it has provided me over the years.

There are situations and circumstances that justify the actions that are being sought. Download as PDF Printable version. But a more difficult change will be getting people to believe that the system will treat them fairly, says Dylan Geerts. District Judge Waverly D. They just ran over you anyway. Clemmons, who openly opposed the motion against Lyle, drew attention to the difference he sees between the two efforts. He will replace retiring Judge Donna Scott Davenport , who has served since winning the seat in Announcing her retirement, Davenport said she was proud of her legacy in the court. In , 48 percent of children brought before Davenport were jailed, while the statewide average was five percent. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. They ignored the laws and created their own. State Rep. Davenport's juvenile court legacy is narrated in a four-part podcast, The Kids of Rutherford County. Retrieved June 21, Davenport was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in , nine years after receiving a law degree.