Circuit Court Judge John McLellan, III, of Kingsport has assumed the top leadership role in the Tennessee Judicial Conference, which includes all of the state’s 185 trial, senior and appellate judges. He accepted the president’s gavel at the TJC Spring conference in Nashville, succeeding Circuit Court Judge Don Ash of Murfreesboro.
“My judicial colleagues are among the nation’s brightest and most capable judges, so my election to lead our organization is a tremendous honor,” said McLellan, who is the organization’s 52 nd president. “My goal during the coming year is, along with the other members of our conference, to serve the cause of justice by continuing to provide for the fair, accessible and impartial administration of justice.”
Additionally, he said, he will encourage Tennessee’s judges to continue programs in schools, communities and civic clubs across the state to promote a better understanding of the judicial branch of government.
“I feel that a goal of the Tennessee Judicial Conference is to continue to sustain a system of justice which works efficiently and effectively with public confidence and citizen support,” McLellan said.
Other new TJC officers are Circuit Court Judge W. Neil Thomas, III, of Chattanooga, vice president; Criminal Court Judge Stephen M. Bevil of Chattanooga, secretary; Chancellor Telford E. Forgety, Jr., of Dandridge, treasurer; and Criminal Court Judge Arthur T. Bennett of Memphis, president-elect.
Executive Committee members are Court of Appeals Judge David R. Farmer of Jackson and Criminal Court Judges James C. Beasley, Jr., and Chris Craft of Memphis, representing West Tennessee; Circuit Court Judges Barbara N. Haynes of Nashville, Timothy L. Easter of Franklin and Ross H. Hicks of Springfield, representing Middle
Tennessee; and Circuit Court Judge Kelly D. Thomas, Jr., of Maryville, Chancellor Thomas R. Frierson of Morristown and Circuit Court Judge Jean A. Stanley of Johnson City, representing East Tennessee.
The last conference president from the Second Judicial District was in 1989-90 when Chancellor Richard Ladd served.
McLellan has been on the bench since 1994 when he was appointed to the Circuit Court for Sullivan County, Division I. He was elected in 1996 and again in 1998 to an 8-year term. He previously served as Sullivan County attorney from 1978-1994.
Since 1999, he has been a member of the Tennessee Court of the Judiciary, which enforces the code of conduct for judges. He was a director of the Tennessee Trial Judges Association in 1996-97 and has been a member of the Kingsport Bar Association since 1971. He also is a member of the American Judicature Society and the American Trial Lawyers Association. He currently serves on the Board of Governors of the University of Tennessee National Alumni Association.
McLellan graduated from Dobyns-Bennett High School in 1964 and the University of Tennessee in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. In 1970, he earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Tennessee Law School in Knoxville. He and his wife Wanda G. McLellan have two sons, John and Jason Ray, and two granddaughters, Brittany Star and Kaile Pearl.