Davidson County judges at a swearing in ceremony on Aug. 30, 2022. Courtesy of Rod Wright
18 women were sworn in as judges this week — a record for Davidson County.
I’Aesha Myles is one of them. She ran as a Democrat. She’s also the first African American woman to be sworn in as judge in chancery court in Tennessee’s history.
“You see this crescendo of women,” Myles says. “They’ve all come together, and they’ve decided that one way or another they want to be involved in the process.”
A record number of female judges were sworn in to office. Courtesy of Rod Wright
Myles believes that the overturning of Roe v. Wade will encourage even more progressive women to get involved in politics.
“I think that women now are really looking at things that are happening and saying, ‘What can I do? What is in my hand that I can do to make a difference in my sphere?’” Myles says. “And I think that that’s why you see a record number of women judges who have been elected this term.”
Myles and some of the other new judges took part in Emerge Tennessee, which provides campaign training for Democratic women who want to run for elected office.