SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn — The Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct has recommended Shelby County judge Melissa Boyd be removed from office.
Boyd is a recently indicted judge from Shelby County who reportedly admitted to using cocaine while on the job, according to the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct.
In December 2023, Boyd was also charged with coercing and harassing her campaign manager. Boyd has been suspended from her job since May of 2023 and has had two public reprimands.
The letter, signed by lieutenant governor Randy Mcnally and speaker Cameron Sexton, are recommending her removal from office. Her current term ends 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 Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct, but it is unclear what proceeding the former campaign manager was testifying in.
Boyd was also charged with harassment, which supposedly occurred 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.
Boyd was booked into jail in December, but got back out after paying a $5,000 bond, according to jail records.
In a release Dec. 14, the Board of Judicial Conduct said it would place Boyd on interim suspension effective immediately. She was prohibited from holding court, issuing subpoenas, setting cases, issuing warrants, setting or changing bonds, administering oaths or issuing rulings.
