NASHVILLE, April 29, 2025 — Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Chris Craft will be honored next month with the Tennessee Bar Association’s (TBA) prestigious Justice Frank F. Drowota III Award. The award will be presented at the Bench Bar Luncheon set for June 12 as part of the association’s Annual Convention in Franklin.

In announcing this year’s recipient, TBA President Ed Lanquist Jr. said the association is honoring Craft for his leadership in judicial education, ethics and professional well-being: “The TBA is pleased to honor Judge Chris Craft for 30 years of service to the Tennessee legal community. Throughout his career, Judge Craft has worked to improve the practice of law, foster excellence among state judges and help colleagues in need. We are grateful for his contributions. Additionally, I particularly enjoyed working with him when he previously served on the TBA Board of Governors when he was president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference.”

Craft’s service to the legal community has been significant. For more than 30 years he has served on the Tennessee Criminal Pattern Jury Instructions Committee, including more than 20 years serving as committee chair. This work, which includes reviewing criminal legislation, analyzing case law and revising jury instructions, provides an invaluable resource for judges and attorneys throughout the state. Under his leadership, the committee also expanded its role to track lesser-included offenses and the ever-changing release eligibility dates for various criminal offenses.

Craft also has been an active member of the Tennessee Judicial Conference, the policy-making body for state court judges. He served as president of the conference from 2017-2018 and has served on numerous committees. He also has provided an annual criminal law update for all judges for the last 15 years and has served as an instructor at the Tennessee Judicial Academy.

Craft has made significant contributions in the field of judicial ethics. For a number of years, he chaired the state’s board responsible for handling ethics complaints against judges. Craft joined the Court of the Judiciary in 2010 and remained with the entity when it was reconstituted as the current Board of Judicial Conduct. He also served as chair of the new board for the first six years of its existence.

Finally, Craft has made a lasting impact on attorney wellness and professionalism. Long before the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) was established in 1999, Craft was already intervening to assist attorneys struggling with substance abuse and mental health challenges. As a Judicial Assistance Group (JAG) volunteer, he has provided support, mentorship and a firm but compassionate approach to those in need. In recognition of his leadership and service in this critical area, Craft was named the first recipient of the TLAP Judicial Volunteer of the Year Award in 2013.

Craft was nominated for the Justice Frank F. Drowota III Award by a group of fellow judges. In submitting the nomination, they summed up Craft’s contributions: “For 30 years, [Judge Craft] has been an indispensable resource, fostering excellence in the bench and ensuring that the next generation of judges is well-prepared to serve their communities. Judge Chris Craft’s judicial service is defined not only by his remarkable intellect and legal acumen but by his compassion, leadership and profound dedication to the betterment of the legal community. His legacy will continue to shape Tennessee’s judiciary for years to come.”

Craft was appointed to the criminal court in 1994 and elected to the position again in 1996, 1998, 2006, 2014 and 2022. He previously served as an assistant district attorney and practiced criminal defense and family law with the firm of Craft & Craft from 1978-1982. Craft earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Memphis in 1975 and his law degree from the university’s Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 1978. He returned to the law school as an adjunct professor of law from 1998 to 2024.

The TBA's Justice Frank F. Drowota III Award is given to a judge or judicial branch official of a federal, state or local court in Tennessee who has demonstrated extraordinary devotion and dedication to the improvement of the law, the legal system and the administration of justice as exemplified by the career of former Supreme Court Justice Frank F. Drowota III — the award’s first recipient. It is the TBA’s highest award for service to the judiciary and has been given annually for more than a decade.

The Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) is the largest professional association in Tennessee with nearly 14,000 members. Founded in 1881, the TBA represents the entire spectrum of the legal profession in Tennessee and beyond and is dedicated to enhancing fellowship and professionalism among the members of Tennessee’s legal community.