As one Tennessee judge prepares to hang up his black robe and don a military uniform, another is heading home to Cocke County after a year of active duty, including nearly four months in Mosul, Iraq, helping local officials create a judicial system.
Circuit Court Judge Craig Johnson of Coffee County will become the first state trial court judge deployed during the Iraq war when he receives the official orders he expects “any time.” Johnson, a major in the National Guard, is part of a combat heavy engineer battalion, but said he is not headed to Iraq.
“I'm going overseas, but they tell us not to say too much about what we're doing individually, so I'd rather not say where,” said Johnson, who will leave a wife and three young children at home for up to a year.
Cocke County General Sessions Judge John Bell arrived back in the United States on Christmas Eve, but will remain at Fort Campbell for at least another week. The Army National Guard lieutenant colonel was deployed in January, 2003, and served as chief of the Criminal Division at Fort Campbell. He later was assigned to Mosul where he was “judicial architect for the reformation and reconstruction of the judicial infrastructure for all of Northern Iraq.” In an email message from Iraq, Bell said his job as chief of the Mosul office of Judicial Operations was to rebuild courthouses and restructure court systems.
During his year-long absence, nearly 40 judges from across Tennessee volunteered to handle Bell's docket and other court-related responsibilities. The judges took care of their own caseloads and traveled to Cocke County to cover for Bell without receiving pay or expenses for the added duties.
Johnson, a member of the Guard for two decades, said he does not mind being placed on temporary active duty for the second time. In 1991, before he became a judge in the 14 th Judicial District, Johnson also spent about eight months in the Gulf during Operation Desert Storm.
“The first time I was called up I was fresh out of law school and had just taken the Bar exam,” he said. “If I were in private practice, it would be more difficult, but those of us in government are encouraged to be in the military. It's a good thing.”
During his absence, Johnson's docket will be covered by Retired Judge Gerald Ewell, Sr. Chief Justice Frank Drowota designated Ewell, who retired in 1998 and was succeeded by Johnson.