A. Melissa Boyd, a judge in Memphis, was officially charged with intimidating a witness because she allegedly tried to get her campaign manager to take back statements about her drug use. A photo shows the Shelby County Jail and Tennessee Courts.
The troubled Memphis judge facing charges who has faced nothing but problems during her short time as a judge resigned after her bail was taken away for having cocaine in her system.
Judge Andrewnetta Melissa Boyd, 59, went to jail last week after the failed drug tests. This seemed to be the final issue for Boyd, who was dealing with possible removal by the General Assembly. In January, the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct sent Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and Assembly Speaker Cameron Sexton a recommendation to strip Boyd of her position. The letter also described how her former campaign manager found a plate with suspected cocaine in her closet in December 2022. Tennessee Her legal team sent a letter to the Administrative Office of the Courts submitting her resignation late last month. She was initially planning to resign at the end of May, but in a letter sent Tuesday, she moved up her date. letter At the court hearing last week where her bail was taken away, Boyd’s lawyer said she was in a “full relapse.”
“I think that’s very obvious to the court,” attorney Art Horne said, according to CBS affiliate WREG. “Putting Ms. Boyd in jail and letting her detox and whatever doesn’t fix the long-term problem.”
“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,” Tuesday’s letter said.
At the court hearing last week revoking her bond, Boyd’s attorney said his client was in “full relapse.”
“I think that’s very obvious to the court,” attorney Art Horne said, according to CBS affiliate WREG. “Putting Ms. Boyd in jail and letting her detox and whatever doesn’t fix the long-term problem.” CBS affiliate WREG. “Putting Ms. Boyd in jail and letting her detox and whatever doesn’t fix the long-term problem.”
. “Putting Ms. Boyd in jail and letting her detox and whatever doesn’t fix the long-term problem.”
However, Boyd’s actions suggested that she was simply disobeying the court’s orders, prosecutors said.
“She is basically disobeying the court's orders, saying I am not going to do one thing that you ordered me to do. I am not going to call into pretrial supervision. I am not going to go by the office, I am not going to submit to drug screens — I am not going to stop using cocaine,” said Nina Seiler, Assistant District Attorney of the 28th Judicial District, according to WREG.
The judge agreed with prosecutors, saying Boyd has refused help to address her drug problem. He sent her to jail until her criminal trial, which is slated to start later this month. reportedAs Law&Crime previously , a grand jury indicted Boyd in December on charges of coercion of a witness and harassment, records show. According to the complaint obtained by the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Boyd is accused of pressuring her campaign manager to take back the statements she made to a judicial oversight body about Boyd’s use of marijuana and cocaine since taking office last year. Boyd also would show up at the campaign manager’s home and berate her, the Commercial Appeal reported.Boyd reportedly told the campaign manager to “shut up” and to “not mess with her” because she’s a judge.
The judge, elected in August 2022 as Division IX judge of the 30th Judicial District Criminal Court in
, took a leave of absence in May to address an illness. But in reality, Memphisdocuments examined by Law&Crime indicate that she was suspended by the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct, which oversees judges. The board suspended her on May 22 for up to six months because of accusations of drug use and inappropriate behavior, as stated in the documents. The suspension was prolonged in December. More information on Law&Crime:‘I have also made mistakes’: Judge steps down after sending shocking text messages about private parts, dull testimony and ‘attractive’ police officers during murder trial
On Nov. 30, 2022, a complaint was received by the board alleging that she was “threatening and intimidating an acquaintance and that she was abusing alcohol.” Boyd was supposed to respond in writing but missed the deadline by over a month, according to the document. The investigation was expanded in March after Boyd “was found sitting outside the acquaintance’s residence” around 2:30 a.m.
“During the incident Judge Boyd sent pictures of this individual’s property via text and sent messages accusing this person of having someone in the home,” investigators stated.
Boyd confessed to the board on April 10, admitting to sending the text messages and recognizing that it was inappropriate. She also acknowledged that she had failed to respond to the board in a timely manner, attributing it to the deaths of several family members.
Then, the board announced that it was widening the investigation for a third time after Boyd supposedly confessed to having a substance abuse issue. Boyd admitted to the board on May 5 that she indeed had a problem.
Boyd’s behavior was deemed inappropriate by the board.
“When any judge, especially one who deals with substance abuse or chemical dependency matters like Judge Boyd, has alcohol and/or substance abuse problems, the respect for the judiciary and the administration of justice suffers,” the board expressed. “Clearly, the public is more likely to respect and have confidence in the integrity and quality of justice administered by a judge if the judge has adhered to the same standards of conduct he or she is responsible for applying to others. A judge with drug or alcohol dependency issues does not inspire such confidence.”
The board instructed Boyd to undergo a substance abuse assessment and seek rehabilitation if necessary. The Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program, which aids those in the legal profession, had to determine whether she was capable of returning to the bench.
But the Board of Judicial Conduct
on Oct. 31 issued a public reprimand of Boyd , stating that she failed to complete the substance abuse evaluation. It was her second reprimand of the year: In May, the boardreprimanded her for requesting donations via social media for a school while wearing her judge robe, which violates judicial policy. The embattled Memphis judge under indictment who’s run into nothing but trouble in her short time on the bench resigned after her bond was revoked for having cocaine and alcohol in her system.