Judge Chris Frulla is drawn to career paths that demand patience, precision, and unearthing the truth. He’s now a circuit court judge in the 30th Judicial District, but has been in the practice of excavation before.
“I had the pleasure of doing a two-week archeological survey on an island down in the Bahamas where we discovered burials from the 18th century that had not previously been discovered,” said Judge Frulla.
He graduated from the College of Charleston with a Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology and worked in the private archeology sector.
“When companies bought land that had not previously been developed they’d have to do an archeological impact survey. We would determine whether there were significant artifacts or historical markers that would prevent or deter how they develop the land. For example, in Bluffton, South Carolina, we found Native American burials from a contact period site. They were significant enough that we caused the residential development to make that area a green space in the development, so it could not be destroyed or damaged in the development of the land.”
After a couple of years, he decided it was time for a change.
“Ultimately, I determined that while I did have a strong interest in archeology, it was not what I wanted to do for my career. My father’s an attorney. He’s still licensed and he’s generally retired, but I always looked up to him and thought that he had a very noble profession. I was kind of soul searching, as a 24-year-old does, and decided I’d give law school a shot and maybe follow in the footsteps of my father.”
Judge Frulla went on to graduate from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis and served as a licensed attorney for more than 13 years.
“I really enjoyed serving clients, individually, but then I started to think about what I could do to serve the community as a whole,” he said.
When a vacancy emerged following the elevation of Judge Valerie Smith to the Tennessee Court of Appeals, Judge Frulla says colleagues encouraged him to apply.
“That's when I got very serious about that decision and obviously went forward with it.”
Judge Frulla was appointed to the bench by Governor Bill Lee on Aug. 28, 2025. He was sworn in by Judge Valerie Smith on Sept. 3, 2025, surrounded by family, close friends and several colleagues.
“Just excited and overwhelmed and flattered and humbled would be the words that come to mind.”
And during his first day on the bench, a special visitor stopped by.
“Walking out on the bench the first day, to my surprise, my father was sitting in the gallery," said Judge Frulla. "He said he is just so proud of me, and he had to see it with his own eyes.”
