MEMPHIS, Tenn. — One of the attorneys for Shelby County Judge A. Melissa Boyd confirmed to ABC24 that Boyd plans to plead guilty in court Friday.
Her case was originally set to go to trial later in April. Attorney Art Horne told ABC24 Boyd plans to change her plea in the case Friday, April 5.
Boyd is charged with coercion of a witness and harassment. She had been booked into jail in December then released after paying a $5,000 bond, according to jail records. On March 27, a judge granted a motion by prosecutors to revoke bond for Boyd after she reportedly failed a drug screening. She was then rebooked into the Shelby County Jail.
During a previous hearing, prosecutors said Boyd tested positive for marijuana on Jan. 3, then went into treatment. They said she was released Feb. 29, but then tested positive for cocaine and alcohol on March 12. They asked the court to revoke her $5,000 bond for failing her bond conditions.
Tuesday, April 2, 2024, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee accepted Boyd’s resignation from the bench, effective immediately. Boyd’s attorneys sent a letter Tuesday to the state Administrative Office of the Courts saying she was resigning immediately. That came a day after she sent a letter saying she would step down at the end of May.
A hearing about her removal from the bench had been previously scheduled in the Tennessee General Assembly for Thursday. Sen. Raumesh Akbari of Memphis told abc24 the reason for the immediate resignation was so that it would take place while the state legislature was still in session. Boyd’s initial resignation date of May 31 would take place after the 2024 session is over.
A Tennessee General Assembly Joint Ad Hoc committee voted earlier in March to remove Boyd from office. The Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct recommended the removal in December after Boyd’s suspension nearly a year ago after the Board said Boyd reportedly admitted to using cocaine while on the job.
Boyd was suspended from her job in May of 2023 and had two public reprimands. Her current term was scheduled to end in August of 2030.
Boyd, who was appointed Criminal Court Division 9 Judge in August 2022, was indicted for allegedly coercing her former campaign manager to "testify falsely or withhold truthful testimony" between Nov. 2022 and March 2023, court records said.
At the time, Boyd was being investigated by the Board of Judicial Conduct, but it is unclear what proceeding the former campaign manager was testifying in.
Boyd was also charged with harassment, which reportedly happened between Jan. 2023 and March 2023. According to court records, Boyd allegedly communicated with someone “without lawful purpose,” and the grand jury deemed her intent was to “annoy, offend, alarm or frighten” this person.
In a release Dec. 14, the Board of Judicial Conduct said it placed Boyd on interim suspension. She was prohibited from holding court, issuing subpoenas, setting cases, issuing warrants, setting or changing bonds, administering oaths or issuing rulings.