Shelby County Judge Melissa Boyd has resigned, Gov. Bill Lee approves resignation
Embattled now-former Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Melissa Boyd has requested to resign "effective immediately" in a newly obtained resignation letter, and Gov. Bill Lee Tuesday afternoon accepted her resignation.
The letter came early Tuesday morning, a day after news broke that Boyd sought to retire at the end of May. Boyd was scheduled for a removal hearing before the Tennessee General Assembly on Thursday, but that vote has since been canceled with Boyd's immediate resignation, and the governor's acceptance of it.
"Judge Boyd has communicated to her lawyers that she is willing to move her resignation date forward," the letter from Boyd's attorney, Brain Faughnan, said. "Accordingly, please treat this letter as Judge Boyd's indication that she is resigning from her position as a Criminal Court Judge for the 30th Judicial District At Memphis effective immediately."
The letter, though sent to the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts early Tuesday, did not make Boyd's resignation official until after Lee signed off on it.
Previously: Bond revoked for indicted Judge Melissa Boyd, will spend month in jail before trial
Attorneys for Boyd, both for her criminal charges and for the ethics complaints, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Sen. Raumesh Akbari, who sat on the committee that unanimously voted to recommend Boyd's removal, said Monday that the removal vote "would be moot" if Boyd resigned immediately.
District Attorney Frederick Agee — who represents Crockett, Gibson and Haywood counties and is prosecuting Boyd's criminal case — had worked with Boyd's legal team to secure a transfer order to allow her to be present during the vote. Boyd's bond was revoked last week after a judge ruled she violated her bail conditions when she tested positive for cocaine and alcohol.
That transfer order was canceled once the governor accepted Boyd's resignation, Agee said Tuesday.
"Our office submitted a transport order which was signed by the Court for Ms. Boyd to be transported by the Tennessee Highway Patrol to the Thursday, April 4, joint legislative session regarding her removal at the state capitol in Nashville," Agee said in an email statement. "Because her bond has been revoked, we did this to protect her due process right to be present. We will cancel the transport order once we have received confirmation that Governor Bill Lee has accepted Ms. Boyd's resignation."
Boyd has received multiple reprimands from the board since being elected in 2022. The reprimands stem from Boyd soliciting money for a school using a picture of her in her judicial robe, allegations of harassing another woman, alcohol abuse, and having a marijuana and cocaine addiction.
One reprimand required Boyd to receive treatment, which the board said she did not enter into until after her indictment.
Many of the accusations come from a woman who told the board she was Boyd's campaign manager. Boyd has since denied that she had a campaign manager, saying that the two women were in a relationship at one point.
According to the board, Boyd would show up at the campaign manager's home and berate her. The campaign manager said Boyd tried to have her recant her statements to the oversight board, telling the manager to "shut up" and "not mess with her because she's a judge."
Boyd also would text the campaign manager information about the woman's divorce, the board said.
She also faces two criminal charges — coercion and harassment — connected to the allegations from her former campaign manager.
Lucas Finton is a criminal justice reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at [email protected], or (901)208-3922, and followed on X, formerly known as Twitter, @LucasFinton.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Shelby County judge moves resignation to effective immediately
