Jessie Chandler Parrish was appointed Circuit Judge by Governor Bill Lee in July 2024. She serves the 22^nd Judicial District which is comprised of Giles, Lawrence, Maury, and Wayne counties. She assumed the Circuit Court bench on August 3, 2024.

Judge Parrish’s legal experience includes clerking for a former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice, working in a private legal practice, and serving as a prosecutor in the District Attorney’s office. She served as an extern for former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Janice Holder during law school. After law school, Judge Parrish clerked for Justice Roger Page both while he served on the Court of Criminal Appeals and later when Justice Page served on the state Supreme Court. She drafted and edited legal opinions and organized petitions and memorandums.

Judge Parrish entered private practice as an Associate at a firm in Jackson. She worked in Federal Court in Middle and West Tennessee and State Court in several West Tennessee counties. She gained valuable experience representing both businesses and individuals.

Much of Judge Parrish’s legal experience came from her time serving as a prosecutor. She went to work as an Assistant District Attorney in 2018 and was assigned to Giles County where she worked in Circuit Court, General Sessions Court, and Juvenile Court. After four years there, she moved to Lawrence County, her home county, where she was assigned to both the Circuit Court and General Sessions Court. She was responsible for prosecuting felonies and misdemeanors from indictment through trial. Judge Parrish handled cases ranging from speeding tickets to first degree murder. Although assigned to Lawrence County, she would occasionally handle cases in Giles, Maury, and Wayne counties.

As a prosecutor, Judge Parrish met with victims to determine their wants and needs and explain the legal process, including potential outcomes of their case. She routinely worked with law enforcement officers to discuss investigations and review search warrants. She served as a member of the Child Protective Investigation Team and the Vulnerable Adult Protective Investigative Team. In six years as a prosecutor, Judge Parrish tried numerous jury trials.

Judge Parrish was raised in Lawrence County and attended Summertown High School. She earned a scholarship to Austin Peay State University where she was on the Dean’s list and graduated Magna Cum Laude. She attended law school at the University of Memphis and again was on the Dean’s list. Judge Parrish graduated Magna Cum Laude and ranked #5 in a class of 122.

Judge Parrish and her husband, Josh, are the proud parents of Marley born in the spring of 2025. They are members of Pulaski Street Church of Christ in Lawrenceburg.