John R. Rosson Jr. Reprimanded

John R. Rosson Jr., a Knoxville Municipal Court judge with 36 years on the bench, was publicly reprimanded by the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct after holding a campaign event in his own courtroom on October 11, 2023, attended by members of the media. During the event, Rosson accepted a live endorsement from a lawyer present and announced a separate endorsement from a lawyer who was not there, told the audience he could deliver a "campaign speech" and then did so, took election-related questions from the press about his opponent, and asked viewers watching the coverage to vote for him. The Board found that as a judge with 36 years of experience, Rosson "should have known better" than to leverage his judicial office and courtroom for his own campaign purposes — conduct the ethics rules specifically prohibit. Rosson accepted the public reprimand and took full responsibility for his actions. He went on to lose his reelection bid.