Nashville, Tenn. (TN Tribune)–Elections for judge are often very low turnout, partly because people do not know the candidates or understand how these positions affect issues that they care deeply about.
NOAH (Nashville Organized for Action and Hope) is holding this special webinar to outline the role of judges and how these positions affect issues in our city.
In March, NOAH will be holding public meetings with candidates to hear from them and to gain their commitments to work with NOAH on issues of criminal justice.
The webinar features panelists who are Nashville’s criminal justice community leaders.
They will demystify the roles of Nashville’s judges, who have an enormous impact on criminal justice, mass incarceration and community safety. Panelists will also prepare voters to vote for judicial candidates in the primary election on May 3.
The webinar is sponsored by NOAH (Nashville Organized for Action and Hope), with special thanks to our co-sponsors: A VOICE, Nashville Community Bail Fund, Community Relations Committee of the Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship, NAACP Nashville Chapter, Nashville Jewish Social Justice Roundtable, The Temple Social Action Committee, Unheard Voices Outreach, Urban League of Middle Tennessee, West End Synagogue Social Action Committee, and West Nashville Clergy Coalition.
PANELISTS:COURTNEY TEASLEY, a criminal defense attorney, will share her experiences in the General Sessions and Criminal Courts with respect to both the judges and the prosecuting attorneys from the District Attorney General’s office.
DAWN DEANER, former Public Defender for Nashville, will explain how the criminal courts work, the role of General Sessions and Criminal Court judges, and how bail is decided. She will also discuss the prosecuting attorney, the defense attorney in the setting of bail, sentencing, and restorative justice.
ERICA PERRY, Executive Director of the Nashville Community Bail Fund, and one of its clients will explain what it means to be faced with being in jail prior to trial and why it is so important to our community that bail-setting practices are fair for everyone.
