TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Jul 30, 2025

Circuit Court Judge Kathryn “Katy” Olita recently was elected president of the Tennessee Trial Judges Association (TTJA), becoming the first woman and the first judge from the 19th Judicial District to hold the position. “I’m excited about continuing to do the good work that our organization has done, especially over the last couple of years,” Olita said. “There’s been a lot of good cooperation between the [Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC)] and the TTJA, and even the leadership of the appellate courts. We’ve kind of all found this uniform way of trying to make sure everybody is looked out for ... so I’m very encouraged by all of that and want to continue that work while I’m the president.” Olita also has appointed 1st Judicial District Criminal Court Judge Stacy Street as vice president, 12th Judicial District Chancellor Melissa Willis as secretary, and 29th Judicial District Chancellor Tony Childress as treasurer of the group. The TTJA is a non-partisan association of circuit, criminal and chancery court judges and is dedicated to maintaining a fair, independent and efficient judiciary. Read more in a press release.