There were six judicial races on the ballot in Shelby County this year after a slate of promotions and retirements.
Voters had to select new judges for all four of Shelby County's main courtrooms — circuit court, chancery court, criminal court and general sessions court.
Here is a rundown of who won each race. All results are unofficial until certified by the Shelby County Election Commission.
Who won the race for Circuit Court Judge Division III?
Incumbent Judge Chris Frulla, who was nominated to fill the role months ago by Gov. Bill Lee, narrowly retained his seat against Juvenile Court Magistrate Mitzi Pollard.
- Chris Frulla: 52.86% of the vote
- Mitzi Pollard: 46.95% of the vote
Who won the race for Chancery Court Part II?
Lonnie Thompson narrowly unseated incumbent Chancellor Jim Newsom in a three-way race. Kenneth Margolis finished in third place.
- Lonnie Thompson: 42.98% of the vote
- Jim Newsom: 40.64% of the vote
- Kenneth Margolis: 16.19% of the vote
Who won the race for Criminal Court Division I?
Local defense attorney Jahari Dowdy unseated incumbent Criminal
Court Judge Ray Lepone, who was appointed by Gov. Bill Lee when the bench was vacated due to a retiring judge.
- Jahari Dowdy: 55.36% of the vote
- Ray Lepone: 44.44% of the vote
Who won the race for Criminal Court Division VIII?
Javier Bailey II won a crowded race for Criminal Court Division VIII. He will succeed retiring Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Chris Craft.
- Javier Bailey II: 33.92% of the vote
- Latonya Sue Burrow: 16.83% of the vote
- Joe Ozment: 16.17% of the vote
- Katie Ratton: 13.27% of the vote
- David "Hawk" Allen: 9.79% of the vote
- John L. Dolan: 5.75% of the vote
- Ruchee Patel: 4.11% of the vote
Who won the race for General Sessions Civil Court Division 2?
A three-way race ended with Shayla Nicole Purifoy unseating incumbent General Sessions Court Judge Marcy Ingram. Purifoy also beat John Cameron, who had the second-most votes.
- Shayla Nicole Purifoy: 41.18% of the vote
- John Cameron: 38.23% of the vote
- Marcy Ingram: 20.44% of the vote
Who won the race for General Sessions Criminal Court Division 7?
Another three-way judicial race ended with incumbent General Sessions Court Judge Taylor Eskridge Bachelor retaining her seat in a resounding victory, defeating challengers Serena Gray and Billy "Charles" Gilchrist.
- Taylor Eskridge Bachelor: 53.08% of the vote
- Serena Gray: 24.96% of the vote
- Billy "Charles" Gilchrist: 21.75% of the vote
Lucas Finton covers crime, policing, jails, the courts and criminal justice policy for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached by phone or email: (901)208-3922 and Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com, and followed on X @LucasFinton.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: See who won each of the judicial races in Shelby County
