TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Aug 3, 2023

A Davidson County judge is under scrutiny following a report from the State Comptroller's Office that found the judge created a "potential conflict of interest" by funneling federal grant funds to a for-profit business. The report does not name the judge, but the business in question is owned by General Sessions Court Judge Rachel Bell and her wife Dr. Dorsha James Bell, the Tennessean reports. NewsChannel 5 reported in May that Bell received a $200,000 federal grant to establish a restorative justice diversion program and used part of the funds to rent office space for Solutions Now in a building owned by her parents. Bell did not disclose her ownership ties to the company on the initial grant documents. She has said it was "always understood” that she owned the company based on discussions during the grant application process. The comptroller said the expenses were legitimate but her failure to disclose her association with the company “created an appearance of impropriety.”