Binkley and Perkins to fill respective vacancies
on Davidson County Circuit and Chancery Courts
NASHVILLE - Governor Phil Bredesen has appointed Nashville attorney Joe P. Binkley Jr. to the Davidson County Circuit Court, Division V, and Russell Perkins of Whites Creek, Tenn., to a position on the Davidson County Chancery Court, Part IV.
Binkley will fill the vacancy created when Judge Walter C. Kurtz retired from the Circuit Court post in March to become a Senior Judge. Perkins’ appointment fills the vacancy created by the appointment of Richard H. Dinkins to the Tennessee Court of Appeals in January.
“I am confident that Joe Binkley and Russell Perkins will serve with distinction as they fill these two important posts,” said Bredesen. “I appreciate the experience and skill each brings to their respective appointments, and I am very pleased they have agreed to serve.”
Binkley, a Nashville native, has been a solo practitioner in private practice for 38 years. A graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School, he is a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. A member of the Nashville Bar Association since 1970, he has served as a board member and on the Association’s Domestic Relations and Fee Dispute committees.
“I am at a point in my career where I want to return something to the judicial system that has provided me with tremendous and rewarding challenges and purpose for my life,” said Binkley. “This is a great honor. I appreciate Governor Bredesen’s confidence in me and look forward to serving in this position.”
Perkins has been Deputy Attorney General of the Tobacco Enforcement Division since May 2006. Since joining the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office in 1994, he has served in a number of positions, including Deputy Attorney General in the Consumer Advocate and Protection Division and Deputy for Special Litigation in the Tobacco Unit. A graduate of the Ohio State University College of Law, he worked as an Assistant Attorney General for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and was also an associate and partner in the Nashville law firm of Williams & Dinkins.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be appointed by Governor Bredesen to serve the state as a Chancellor of the Davidson County Chancery Court,” Perkins said. “I believe that I have something valuable and unique to contribute to the work of this Court, and I look forward to the opportunity to continue to serve my community in this new capacity.”
Perkins received the William M. Leech, Jr., Distinguished Service Award from the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office in 2000.
(03/17/2008)
21st Judicial District District Attorney General Pro Tem
According to T.C.A. § 8-7-106, if the office of District Attorney General becomes vacant during the term, the Court is required to appoint a district attorney general pro tem until such time as the Governor makes an appointment. The Circuit Judges for the 21st Judicial District have appointed retired attorney and former assistant district attorney, Don Young, as district attorney general pro tem. Mr. Young has no interest in applying for the appointment, nor seeking the office in the next election. In making this appointment, the Judges of this District do not wish to interfere with the Governor’s appointment authority or to influence the upcoming election by appearing to endorse any potential candidate. The Judges have the utmost confidence in Mr. Young’s ability to provide the necessary stability and professionalism to run the office smoothly until the Governor makes his selection.