Shelby County Criminal Court Division 9 Judge Melissa Boyd will be off the bench at least through the end of September due to illness, and a senior judge — possibly even her predecessor — will fill in for her until her return.

Three Shelby County Criminal Court judges confirmed Boyd's temporary departure Thursday after several of them met to discuss plans for her absence.

Shelby County Criminal Court Division 8 Judge Chris Craft said in a text message Boyd has already been absent for three weeks.

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“We just met and decided that, as it may be some time before Judge Boyd will be well enough to return ... we will cover Division 9’s docket for her for a week or two until we can ask the (Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts) to appoint a senior judge to handle her docket and jury trials until she is well enough to come back,” said Craft, who is the criminal court’s administrative judge. 

Boyd was elected to the bench during last year’s Shelby County general election in August, unseating incumbent Mark Ward.

Ward may be back in his old post soon, if only temporarily.

On May 18, the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts announced in a release that Mark Ward had been appointed as a senior judge for a four-year term, effective June 1. He is now one of five senior judges in the state.

According to Tennessee code, senior judges may be appointed when one or more judicial districts require extra resources. 

Craft said there is no other appointed senior judge in Shelby County, and the court has been bringing in retired judges from other jurisdictions to handle dockets when needed.

“If (Boyd’s) going to be gone for an extended time, I might ask Nashville to send Mark to be senior judge here for the time that she’s going to be off,” Craft said in a phone call Wednesday. 

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Ward told The Daily Memphian other courts need senior judges, as well. Wherever he is asked to go on assignment, he will go.

“I will assist the court system in any way that I can,” Ward said. “I mean, that’s my major role is to be of assistance. Obviously, I’m familiar with the place. So it’s not like they will be sending me into a strange environment. So I’d be happy to do that.”

Shelby County Criminal Court Division 7 Judge Lee V. Coffee said Ward is interested in filling in for Boyd until she returns.

“He is very happy, very ecstatic, to come back and sit and handle Division 9’s business until she returns,” Coffee said.

Several criminal court judges, including Craft and Shelby County Criminal Court Division 5 Judge Carlyn Addison, are helping out with Boyd’s docket. 

Shelby County Criminal Court Division 6 Judge David Pool also said he will help handle Boyd’s docket until a senior judge is assigned to her courtroom.

“I will take a recess as often as I can, hopefully every day for about 20 or 30 minutes and go right before lunch and see if her docket is finished,” Pool said. “If it’s not, I’ll finish it. And then in the afternoons, I’ll do the same things. I know that other judges are going to help, too.”

On May 8, the AOC announced a public reprimand against her. According to the document, the new judge solicited resources and cash donations for a school on Facebook with photos of her wearing her judicial robe. 

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As an attorney in 2015, Boyd was suspended from practicing law for a year, with an active suspension of 30 days and the remainder of the time on probation.

One of the requirements of her probation was that she be evaluated by the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program and enter a monitoring agreement with TLAP if it was deemed necessary.

TLAP is a confidential program for lawyers, judges, bar applicants and law students who may be struggling with substance use issues, stress or emotional health issues.

According to a release from the Board of Professional Responsibility, Boyd “failed to act with diligence in the handling of a petition to change custody, failed to deposit an unearned fee in a trust account and failed to refund the fee when terminated prior to performing the work.”