TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Mar 13, 2025

Longtime Davidson County Criminal Court Judge Cheryl Blackburn has announced that she will retire at the end of May. She has held the position for 29 years, having been originally appointed by the late Gov. Don Sundquist in 1996. Blackburn, whose current term is set to end in 2030, is the longest serving criminal court judge in the county, having presided over tens of thousands of criminal matters and hundreds of trials. Blackburn earned her undergraduate and master's degree in clinical psychology from Vanderbilt University. While working in the mental health field, she attended Nashville School of Law at night. Upon graduation, she was hired as an assistant district attorney in Nashville and later was appointed one of two deputy district attorneys. She says that serving on the bench has been the greatest honor of her professional career. The Tennessean has tributes from lawyers and judges who have worked with Blackburn over the years.