Governor Lee has appointed Mark Stapleton as the 3rd Judicial District Circuit Court Judge which covers Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, and Greene Counties.
Stapleton is a founding attorney at the Stapleton Law Office in Rogersville. Stapleton earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Tennessee and his juris doctorate at Cumberland School of Law.
Stapleton said it was an honor to get the call from Governor Lee with the news of his appointment.
Circuit court judges hear civil and criminal cases and appeals of decisions from Juvenile, Municipal, and General Sessions Courts. Stapleton said he looks forward to serving all the citizens of the four counties in the 3rd Judicial District.
The position was left vacant when Governor Bill Lee appointed Judge William Erwin Phillips II, of Rogersville, to the Tennessee Court of Appeals for the Eastern Section last month. Phillips had taken over as Circuit Court Judge in 2021 when Thomas Wright retired. Wright returned after Phillips’ new appointment to fill in until the Governor appointed someone new.
Aaron Chapman of Morristown, Mark Stapleton of Rogersville, and Crystal Jessee of Greeneville, originally qualified to run for the Judgeship. However, earlier this month, Chapman withdrew his name from the race.
With the appointment, Stapleton will serve until the November General Election. The eight year term expires in 2030.
