Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Melissa Boyd was criminally indicted and taken into Memphis Police Department (MPD) custody on Wednesday after she allegedly harassed and attempted to coerce her former campaign manager. The former employee previously went to the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct (TBJC) with claims Boyd was under the influence of drugs while hearing cases.
Boyd (pictured above) is being charged in Shelby County with one count of coercion of a witness and one count of harassment, according to The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Bond was set at $5,000, and Boyd secured her release. She has since been suspended from the bench by the TBJC, and Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy recused himself from the prosecution.
Prosecutors claim Boyd attempted to influence or coerce her former campaign manager to recant statements she made to the TBJC. Her former campaign manager claimed to the board that Boyd was abusing alcohol and using cocaine and marijuana and that Boyd admitted to using cocaine before hearing a case. Law & Crime reported that Boyd warned her former campaign manager to “shut up” and “not mess with her” due to her status as a judge.
Her issues with the TBJC began in November 2022, when the body received a complaint alleging Boyd was abusing alcohol and threatening to intimidate an acquaintance. Boyd failed to respond to the board’s inquiry by the mandated deadline, and the body ultimately sanctioned Boyd in May 2023, citing social media posts using photographs showing Boyd in her judicial robe to solicit campaign donations. At around the same time, Boyd announced a medical leave of absence.
In October 2023, the board publicly sanctioned Boyd a second time by releasing the full report, which led to her first sanction. That report revealed Boyd was ordered to “submit to a physical, mental health, and/or substance addiction evaluation” by a licensed individual who is approved by TBJC, and the board agreed to keep her treatment private so long as she followed the terms of the agreement.
TBJC noted that “Boyd failed to complete any assessment in violation of the agreement” and that Boyd “recently declared publicly” that “she has not done so and does not plan on doing so” and claimed she does not have a “problem” that needs to be addressed.
Before her suspension, Boyd was criticized for lowering the bail of Quishon Brown, who was charged with animal cruelty for allegedly setting a dog on fire, threatening to shoot reporters, and burning his neighbor’s home in 2022. Boyd reduced his bond from $150,000 to $5,000 in April, about a month before the TBJC sanctioned her.
Boyd was elected in August 2022 and won her election by 165 votes. Her term ends in September 2030, and she will receive her salary unless she is removed from the position.
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to pappert.tom@proton.me.
Photo “Judge Melissa Boyd” by Shelby County Sherriff’s Office.
