Murfreesboro Post
MURFREESBORO WEATHER

Mary Bonita Tucker to receive state public defender award



Rutherford County attorney Mary Bonita Tucker will receive the Tennessee Bar Association’s Fourth Annual Claudia Jack Award next month, according to a news release from the state legal organization.

Tucker

Named for the late Claudia Jack, a long-time champion of the poor and underprivileged, and a public defender in Maury County, the award is presented to an outstanding public defender or court-appointed private practitioner who serves the legal community and clients in an exemplary fashion.

Tucker has served in a public defender role as a court-appointed private practitioner for involuntary commitment proceedings in Rutherford County since the special court’s inception in 2013. Since 2015, she also has defended clients in involuntary commitment proceedings involving the Veterans Affairs Department.

Involuntary commitment is a legal process by which an individual deemed by a court to have a mental disorder is detained in a psychiatric hospital for treatment.

According to the news release, Tucker also accepts appointments in probate court as conservator, administrator ad litem, guardian ad litem and attorney ad litem, representing individuals and children in need of special consideration by the courts.