Tyler Templeton announces bid for General Sessions Judge

Tyler TempletonChris Hopper

I’m Tyler Templeton, and I’m running for General Sessions Judge.

I was a member of the first graduating class of Merrol Hyde Magnet School in 2007. In undergraduate, I attained my B.S. in Political Science at Middle Tennessee State University, and later my Juris Doctorate at Nashville School of Law in 2016.

In June 2018, I suffered a life changing accident that left a portion of my face with significant nerve damage. It was at that time it became clear to me that choices determine the outcome of people’s lives. With many hours in the hospital to contemplate my future, I decided I wanted to serve my community.

As an attorney who handles primarily criminal and family law, I’m in General Sessions Court weekly. I represent clients in all divisions in Sumner County. I have handled numerous criminal cases in General Sessions and continue to do so on a weekly basis.

Several times, I’ve been asked, without compensation, to sit as Special Judge in all three General Sessions Courts for hundreds of hours. Sitting as Special Judge, it has become clear to me the vast majority of people in the system are good people who have made poor choices.

I feel it is the job of a judge to listen to the situation, and to determine what we can do to assist these individuals; whether that be programs to assist in reintegration, recovery, jail time, or a mix of all.

We must make decisions that make Sumner County safer, and help these individuals to become better people for their families and community. I am prepared on day one to hit the ground running and get to work.

As General Sessions Judge, I would work to ensure that everyone left the courtroom feeling as though they were heard, and had a chance to tell their story. Additionally, in my experience with Recovery Court and as Treasurer of Mental Health Court, I have worked firsthand with the people who come into the criminal justice system.

One issue that has become clear to me is the amount of women who come into the criminal justice system. Typically, they come from a background of poverty, generational criminal history, lack of education, and lack of familial support. We need programs that allow them, while paying for their poor choices, to better themselves and provide them with tools to keep them from reentering the system.

These are not just criminals, these are the wives, daughters, and mothers who are raising our next generation. In order to cut down on criminal issues and these large dockets, we must break the cycle, and in my opinion that starts with the women currently coming into the courts.

Currently, we are facing the worst epidemic of drug use in our history, and it hits close to home here in Sumner County. We are very blessed, though, to have such a strong Recovery Court program, and as General Sessions Judge, I would work to increase the number of screenings for those who have addiction and/or mental health issues.

We must decrease the number of repeat offenders; it is in our best interests to discover any underlying issues with the individual and what we can do to keep them out of the system while becoming a contributing member of our community.

I am running to better our neighborhoods and keep our community safe. Join us at our General Election Kick Off from 3-5 p.m. on Sunday, May 22 — more details on our social media (@templeton4judge). I hope that I can count on your support and vote on Aug. 4.

Article submitted by Tyler Templeton.