Lee nominates Memphis judge for state Supreme Court

Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday appointed Mary L. Wagner, a Shelby County Circuit Court judge, to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Tennessee Supreme Court.

“Mary is a highly qualified judge who will bring significant experience to the Tennessee Supreme Court,” Lee said in a statement. “Her understanding and respect for the rule of law and commitment to the conservative principles of judicial restraint make her well-suited for the state’s highest court, and I am proud to appoint her to this position.”

Under a 2014 amendment to the state Constitution, a governor makes the appointments to the Tennessee Supreme Court, which then require legislative approval. Justices then face retention elections every eight years.

Wagner’s appointment marks the Republican governor’s third to the court since taking office in 2019. If confirmed, Wagner will take Justice Roger A. Page’s seat on the five-member court after his retirement on Aug. 31, 2024.

Lee selected Wagner from a group of three finalists, including Court of Criminal Appeals Judges Camille R. Mcmullen and J. Ross Dyer. The Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments selected the finalists in early January from a pool of six applicants after holding public interviews.

Wagner, who at 39 is the youngest of the three finalists, was appointed to her position as a circuit court judge in 2016 by Gov. Bill Haslam and won election in 2018 and 2022. She is a member of the Memphis chapter of the Federalist Society, a conservative legal organization,.

Wagner graduated from the University

of Colorado in 2006 with a degree in political science before earning her law degree from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.

As an attorney, Wagner worked at the Memphis law firm Rice, Amundsen and Caperton, where she mainly handled family law, personal injury and commercial disputes, according to her application.

Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him at emealins@gannett.com or follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Evanmealins.