I, James Yeiser Ross, Sr., would like to take this opportunity to announce my candidacy for re-election as Wayne County General Sessions Judge. As many of you know, I am married to a beautiful and wonderful lady, Amanda Horton Ross, and we have three (3) children, Yeiser, Crews and Kinsley which we love beyond measure. My family and I, as well as my mother, Catherine Ross, along with my Father and Mother-in-law, Robert and Jan Horton, live in Wayne County, Tennessee. I graduated from Savannah Central High School in Savannah, Tennessee, in 1979. I went to college at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and graduated, receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, in 1983. I attended law school at Samford University, Cumberland School of Law, in Birmingham, Alabama, and graduated with a Law Degree in May of 1987. I took and passed the Tennessee Bar Examination in 1987, and I received my Law License from the Tennessee Supreme Court, in 1987. I began practicing law with the law firm of Lackey and Lackey, Attorneys at Law, of Savannah, Tennessee, in October of 1987. Thereafter, I opened a law office in Waynesboro, Tennessee, in 1989, and I have continuously been practicing law in Wayne County since that date.
In August of 1998, I was elected your Wayne County General Sessions Judge. In August of 2006 and 2014, I was re-elected your Wayne County General Sessions Judge. While serving you in this capacity in the past, I have always followed and enforced the laws of our state according to its plain meaning, and I have used common sense, principles of equality, fairness, honesty, integrity and justice, to ensure consistency in my decisions. I’ve worked hard to make positive changes to the existing court system by giving the citizens of Wayne County a fair and equitable approach to the interpretation and application of the law. During the Covid Pandemic, I implemented necessary measures to keep the Wayne County General Sessions and Juvenile Courts open and safe in a manner consistent with the Covid Orders of the Tennessee Supreme Court. While presiding in court, I have always attempted to make the system friendly and understandable for all parties by explaining the process, and the parties’ rights, at the beginning of each court sessions, and directing the parties through the process, to the extent allowed by the law, in order to promote a fair and just result in each case. I am proud of the programs implemented during my tenure, such as supervised probation services, drug testing, driving school, anger management, alcohol and drug counseling, domestic violence counseling, family mediation, financial responsibility classes and other similar services, to assist defendants address the problems which contributed to their court appearances. I am also proud these programs are taught by well-qualified instructors and self-funded by the attendance fees and/or grants. In civil court, I have implemented procedures and services, including settlement conferences and mediation, to help litigants resolve the issues in dispute by agreement, including payment plans, and avoid attachments, garnishments and/or judgment liens.
In criminal court, I have implemented programs to ensure alternatives exist to incarceration, when legally justified, to help defendants overcome the problems which led to their criminal conduct. On the other hand, I have always made sure the individuals, who repeatedly commit crimes, commit violent or severe crimes and violate probation, are kept off our streets by punishing them with appropriate incarceration. In juvenile court, I have implemented procedures in cooperation with the Wayne County Board of Education, Tennessee Department of Children Services, Wayne County Youth Service Officer, Wayne County Probation Officer, and other agencies and individuals, to provide the best counseling and services available to address the child(ren), and their families, suffering from issues of truancy, dependency and neglect, unruly behavior, delinquent behavior and child abuse. On the other hand, I have always made sure the juveniles and their parents, who refuse to respect the law, and their obligations as child(ren) and/or parents, are detained and punished appropriately. In traffic court, procedures have been implemented to ensure alternatives exist to the accumulation of points and/or loss of driving privileges, and resulting higher insurance premiums, when legally justified, to help our citizens avoid higher insurance premiums and unnecessary loss of driving privileges. On the other hand, I have always made sure the individuals, who refuse to respect the privilege of driving, have their driver’s license suspended and/or receive other appropriate punishment.
In addition to the above-mentioned court improvements, I have made special efforts to serve on the Education and Legislative Committees of the Tennessee General Sessions Conference and Tennessee Juvenile and Family Judges Conference for many years, and I am currently the President-Elect for the Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conference for the year 2023-2024. My service on these committees, and pending service as TGSJC President-Elect, has allowed me to be involved in the drafting and implementation of legislation which effects our local legal and judicial system, and I have always strived to make sure such legislation has a positive effect on our county. I have served by designation of the Tennessee Supreme Court as a Special Judge for other counties, and this service has benefitted our county be allowing me, and my court staff, to observe the way other courts are attempting to address legal problems confronting their citizens and court systems. In 2011, I was inducted into the Tennessee Bar Foundation, and this organization allows me, along with the best attorneys and judges in the State of Tennessee, the opportunity to discuss and provide solutions to the legal issues and problems currently facing our county and state.
In the future, I will continue to work just as hard to serve the citizens of Wayne County in the same manner as I have in the past. The good ethical and moral values instilled in my heart and mind by God and my Family shall continue to guide my conscious in fulfilling my duties while serving you as your General Sessions Judge. For the foregoing reasons, I believe I am well qualified to continue serving the citizens of Wayne County, Tennessee, in this capacity, and I look forward to this opportunity to do so for you. I would greatly appreciate your vote and support on August 4, 2022. If we are not already acquainted, I look forward to meeting and getting to know you over the next few months. Thank you for your confidence and support.
Sincerely,
James Y. Ross, Sr.
