*Tennessee juvenile-court judge Donna Scott Davenport has announced plans to retire amid a push to remove her for routinely jailing Black children on bogus charges.
“After prayerful thought and talking with my family, I have decided not to run for re-election after serving more than twenty-two years on the bench,” Davenport said in a statement, according to the Daily News Journal. Her office did not respond to requests for comment.
“I will always look back at my time as Judge as one of the greatest honors of my life, and I am so proud of what this Court has accomplished in the last two decades and how it has positively affected the lives of young people and families in Rutherford County,” she said. “I wish my successor the best and hope that this job provides them the same fulfillment it has provided me over the years.”
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Davenport’s term ends in September. Her retirement announcement follows a resolution issued by state legislators in Tennessee to remove her from the bench “due to criticism she’s faced for creating fake laws that led to lawsuits and the incarceration of Black children,” Black Enterprise writes.
She will retire without consequences for her actions.
“Once a judge retires or resigns, the Board of Judicial Conduct loses jurisdiction and cannot take any further action in a pending matter. Thus, it is not possible to formally charge a judge with an ethics violation or for discipline to be imposed once a judge leaves office. Sometimes, however, a resignation or retirement is the end result of an investigation or the form of discipline imposed,” said Barbara Peck, communications director for the board.
“If an investigation leads to public disciplinary action, such as a public reprimand, the reprimand will be posted on the board’s webpage. If formal charges are filed against a judge, that would likewise be made public,” said Peck.
