Amanda H. Sammons
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Amanda H. Sammons was a judge of the Campbell County General Sessions Court in Tennessee. She left office on August 31, 2022.
This office is outside of Ballotpedia's coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates. Our scope includes all elected federal and state officeholders as well as comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population.
Sammons was suspended on August 10, 2016, after being indicted on four counts of official misconduct. Two charges were dismissed in October, and she was acquitted of the remaining two charges in November. At that time, her suspension was lifted. For more on this story, see below.
Biography
Sammons was born in Memphis, Tennessee. She received her J.D. from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.[1] Her professional experience includes working as a criminal prosecutor in Claiborne County.[2]
Elections
2014
See also: Tennessee judicial elections, 2014
Sammons ran for election to the Campbell County General Sessions Court.
General: She defeated Joseph M. Ayers and Kathy Parrot in the general election on August 7, 2014, receiving 39 percent of the vote.
[3]
Noteworthy events
Charged with official misconduct (2016)
Sammons was suspended from her judicial duties by the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct on August 10, 2016, after being indicted on four counts of official misconduct. She turned herself in to the county jail and was released.[4] Her arraignment was August 18 and Sammons pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. A court date was scheduled for November 1.[5] Sammons' lawyer released the following statement after upon her suspension:
| “ | I have been informed that Judge Sammons was charged. While this is disappointing, Judge Sammons is prepared to show she has not committed any offense. Judge Sammons will plead not guilty, and we will work to get this case tried quickly so that she can go back to carrying out the job the people of Campbell County elected her to do. We understand the judge will be temporarily suspended on the basis of being accused. Judge Sammons is eager to get this resolved and not to disrupt the work of the court.[6] | ” |
| —Wade Davies, attorney for Judge Amanda Sammons[4] | ||
The four counts of official misconduct stem from allegations that Sammons abused her judicial authority in two separate cases. In one, Krista Leigh Smith was charged with child neglect for failing to put seat belts on her children while driving on an icy road. Sammons allegedly told jailers to change the charge to aggravated child abuse and to raise her bond to $250,000. Aggravated child abuse is the toughest child abuse law and requires serious bodily harm. Smith spent nearly 48 hours in jail without learning about the changed charge. Sammons said that the jailers lied and that she had confused the case with a different one. Jailers claimed that Sammons was lying. The judge was removed from the case and Smith subsequently paid a $30 fine for breaking the child restraint law.[7]
The other case in question involved Campbell County attorney Kristie Anderson and her divorce client, Julie Lester. After accusing Anderson of being disrespectful, Sammons charged Anderson and Lester with contempt. Sammons claimed at a hearing that the opposing lawyer had asked for the contempt charge, but when that lawyer denied it, she then admitted that she had sought the charge.[7]
On October 11, 2016, Senior Judge Paul Summers dismissed the two charges against Sammons that were related to the contempt charges against Anderson and Lester.[8] On November 2, 2016, Judge Summers acquitted Sammons of the remaining two charges. He ruled that there was no evidence that Sammons had intended to harm Smith.[9]
Recent news
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Martindale.com, "Amanda Hathcock Sammons - Lawyer Profile," accessed January 16, 2015
- ↑ Official campaign website, accessed August 25, 2016
- ↑ The Volunteer Times, "Incumbents Suffer in 2014 County Election," August 8, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 WATE.com, "Campbell County judge indicted for official misconduct, suspended," August 11, 2016
- ↑ WATE.com, "Campbell County Judge pleads not guilty to official misconduct charges," August 18, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Knoxville News Sentinel, "Campbell judge demands speedy trial on felony misconduct charges," August 18, 2016
- ↑ The Daily Progress, "Judge wins dismissal of 2 of 4 official misconduct charges," October 13, 2016
- ↑ The Daily Progress, "Misconduct charges against Campbell County judge tossed," November 4, 2016
Federal courts:
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee
State courts:
Tennessee Supreme Court • Tennessee Court of Appeals • Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals • Tennessee Circuit Court • Tennessee Chancery Courts • Tennessee Criminal Court • Tennessee Probate Court • Tennessee General Sessions Court • Tennessee Juvenile Court • Tennessee Municipal Court
State resources:
Courts in Tennessee • Tennessee judicial elections • Judicial selection in Tennessee
