CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Judge Jill B. Ayers, who has served as a Circuit Court judge since 2015 for the 19th Judicial District that covers Montgomery and Robertson Counties, has been appointed to the Middle District Court of Criminal Appeals by Gov. Bill Lee.
“I am proud to announce the appointment of these highly qualified individuals, and I value the experience they will bring to their respective judicial districts,” Lee said. “I’m confident they will serve Tennessee with integrity.”
The process
In October, Ayers applied to fill the vacancy, which was created by the retirement of Judge Thomas T. Woodall, who has served the court’s Middle Section judicial jurisdiction since 1996.
Eleven judges applied to fill the position.
At the end of October, it was announced that Ayers had made the shortlist for presentation to Lee. Ayers was the only sitting judge of the final three candidates.
About Judge Ayers
Ayers earned her bachelor’s degree from Belmont University and her law degree from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
She obtained her legal license in 1992 and has lived in Clarksville since 1993. She began practicing law at Batson Nolan, and also served as the School Board attorney for the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System.
Ayers was appointed to the 19th Judicial District’s Circuit Court bench in October 2015 by then-Gov. Bill Haslam.
That seat itself was new in 2015, and it expanded the Circuit Court bench from three to four judges. Ayers was appointed by Haslam until the next election cycle, which happened to be the following year in 2016. After securing the Republican primary, Ayers ran unopposed for the seat and was going to be up for reelection in 2022.
Information about the process of finding a new judge to fill the local vacancy left by Ayers was not immediately available.