Former Deputy Mayor Brenda Haywood
and Former Senator Brenda Gilmore
Attorney Stephanie Williams has earned your vote to be the next Judge of the Circuit Court, Division IV here in Nashville. This court is specially designated as a family court that handles adoptions, divorce, parenting time, child support and domestic violence cases. Stephanie’s personal and professional experiences make her the perfect fit for this court.
After taking a pause in 1994 from her undergraduate education at Fisk to tend to single parenting responsibilities, Stephanie was later inspired by her then employer, Attorney Richard Manson, to go to law school. In pursuit of this goal, Stephanie resumed her studies at Trevecca in 1998, working during the day and attending classes in the evening. Stephanie completed her undergraduate studies in 2000 and immediately enrolled in law school at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Stephanie wanted to maintain stability and consistency for her children so instead of relocating to Knoxville, Stephanie commuted to and from Nashville and Knoxville for nearly 3 years to obtain her law degree in December of 2002.
In short order Stephanie was involved in a child support and custody battle concerning her children and this is where her passion for family law was born. After this experience, Stephanie dedicated her law practice to representing individuals in family courts at reduced rates and received grant funding to start The Family Justice Center for this purpose. For over 10 years, Stephanie helped hundreds of families with limited resources navigate through the family court system in our community.
In 2014, Stephanie was provided the opportunity to make a difference from within the family court system when she was appointed by the late Judge Philip E. Smith to serve as the Special Master (aka “Jr. Judge’) of the Circuit Court, Division IV. In her role, Stephanie continued to improve the system to make it more user friendly and assessable for everyone by streamlining outdated and overcomplicated processes. She was also instrumental in creating and implementing the system for the court to operate virtually when COVID restrictions were put in place. Stephanie thrived in her role as Special Master and earned a great amount of respect and trust from her colleagues.
On September 3, 2022, Stephanie received some life-changing news. Judge Philip Smith passed unexpectedly; thereby, leaving the seat of Judge of the Circuit Court, Division IV vacant. Community leaders, members of the Nashville Bar Association, and nearly 200 family law attorneys rallied behind Stephanie and highly recommended her as the appointee to serve as the interim Judge. Unfortunately, the Governor appointed another candidate. That is when Stephanie made the decision to put everything on the line and run for the seat she was intentional about preparing for throughout her entire legal career.
Stephanie declared her candidacy last spring and has run a noteworthy campaign that could rival some of the best run campaigns we’ve seen in this county. In addition to her colleagues, she has garnered the respect and support of numerous elected officials, community leaders and voters across Nashville. She has earned the endorsement of Women in Numbers, The Equity Alliance Fund, The Buffalo PAC and IAFF Local 140 and was the clear winner of the recent Napier Looby Bar Association Poll. Stephanie has been engrained in our community and engaged in community endeavors that support women, children, families and domestic violence survivors for years. Her compassion, calm judicial temperament and vision to bring back virtual dockets and connect community with courts is the change we need to see in our family courts. Her commitment to “judge without judgment” is what we all deserve from a judge.
When asked “What is your proudest achievement in your personal or public life?” Stephanie’s response was “My proudest achievement in my life is the fact all of my personal and professional experiences: the good, the bad and the ugly, have prepared me and led me to this place where I am the most qualified candidate for this position. Life is funny, we never really know how our experiences give us the tools we need to do great things and serve others. As a single mother and college dropout in 1994 that experienced true hardship and struggle-I never would have guessed I would make it this far. Statistics and society didn’t either. But the reality is it all prepared me for this moment, and I am proud to stand in this light, to be an example for my children, and to leave a legacy for my grandchildren. It’s all a testament to what we can do with the right resources, support, and determination-all of which I aspire to give to the families that come before the me as a Judge.”
Stephanie’s track record is unique and unmatched. She is not just the best pick, but the only pick to be the next Judge of the Circuit Court, Division IV.
As we go to the polls on Tuesday, March 5th, let’s give Stephanie Williams a clear victory and cast our vote for Stephanie Williams to be the next Judge of the Circuit Court, Division IV here in Nashville.
