On Wednesday, February 14, 2024, the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct issued a public reprimand to Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Paula L. Skahan. The reprimand stems from Judge Skahan’s handling of a post-conviction case, Anderson v. State, in late 2023.

In his ruling in the case, Judge Skahan made injudicious comments about Shelby County’s former District Attorney General Amy Weirich and the original trial judge. She also admitted to having an ex parte conversation with the District Attorney General’s office about the case where she directed them to “try and do something” about the defendant’s sentence.

Courtney Anderson was originally expected to be incarcerated for the remainder of his life due to his non-violent conviction in numerous theft and forgery cases in the late 1990s. He was sentenced to 162 years, 11 months, and 29 days. However, after spending 25 years in prison, Anderson was granted a fresh opportunity in December 2022. Unfortunately, a mere ten months after Judge Skahan granted him his freedom, Anderson was compelled to return to prison in order to fulfill the remainder of his sentence.

The Court of Criminal Appeals found that Judge Skahan appeared to have predetermined the outcome of the case before holding a hearing. Transcripts showed she had already prepared an order and amended judgments before parties could argue or present evidence.

Additionally, the Board was concerned about Judge Skahan’s ex parte communication with the District Attorney General’s office where she called an assistant into chambers privately to discuss the case. Ex parte conversations, or those involving only one party, are generally inappropriate for a judge.

In his response, Judge Skahan acknowledged she should not have made comments questioning other officials. She also admitted exceeding her authority in the case but denied telling attorneys how to proceed.

The Board issued the public reprimand as Judge Skahan’s actions undermined public confidence in his impartiality. The reprimand aims to promote higher standards going forward and avoid any future conduct that could compromise the proper administration of justice.

Judge Skahan‘s courtroom is located at Shelby Co. Justice Complex, 201 Poplar Avenue, Room 519, Memphis, TN 38103, and can be reached at 901-222-3214.

A copy of the original filing can be found here.