| Acree to leave bench in 2014 |
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Posted: Thursday, September 13, 2012 12:22 pm
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Circuit Judge William B. “Bill” Acree Jr. will not seek re-election when he finishes his current term on the bench in two years.
Acree, 68, confirmed Monday that his current term as Circuit Court judge for the 27th Judicial District – comprised of Obion and Weakley counties – will be his last.
His term will end Aug. 31, 2014, and he said, “That will be my last day.”
“By that time, I will have spent 20 years on the bench,” he said.
Acree was appointed to the bench in 1994 by the late Gov. Ned McWherter to replace Circuit Judge David Hayes, who was elevated to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. Prior to the appointment, Acree was an attorney in private practice in Union City and had also served as county attorney for Obion County.
He later won election to the bench in 1994, filling out the four years that remained on Hayes’ eight-year unexpired term, and he was then elected to his own eight-year terms in both 1998 and 2006.
Acree said having the opportunity to serve the people of Obion and Weakley counties as Circuit Court judge has been an enjoyable experience.
“I have enjoyed it,” Acree told The Messenger. “I’ve got mixed emotions about it, but it’s time to step aside (in two years). Twenty years will be long enough.”
However, Acree doesn’t plan to entirely leave the legal system when he retires from the bench in 2014. He said he plans to do civil mediation two to three days a week.
“I’m not going to go out to pasture yet,” he said.
In recent years, Acree has served as president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference, which includes all state appellate and trial court judges.
He has also served as a special judge on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, the Tennessee Court of Appeals and the Tennessee Supreme Court Worker’s Compensation Panel and has been a special master appointed by the Supreme Court.
He has been a member of the Governor’s Task Force on the Use of Enhancement Factors in Criminal Sentencing and has served as president of the Tennessee Trial Judges Association.
In 2003, he was instrumental in starting a successful drug court in the 27th Judicial District; and in 2009, he was honored as a Pride of Obion County award recipient as a result of his service and contributions to the community.
Fellow judge Tommy Moore of Dresden who serves as Weakley County General Sessions Judge lauded Acree’s efforts in bringing an “innovative” drug court to the rural region.
“One of his great legacies was the successful drug court program that he helped start 10 years ago. We all received training for the program and did exactly what we were trained to do. He got everybody to buy into this program and turned around and sold it to local law enforcement and the DA’s office. Because of this, I think, it has brought all of closer together,” Moore said about the program that has seen 100 graduates in the 27th Judicial District.
“We have been able to reduce the crime rate through this program and given these people a new lease on life. Many of them have not turned back to crime and take care of their bills and their families,” Moore added.
“He has been a very effective circuit court judge.”
Moore also said he would be interested in seeking the post upon Acree’s retirement from his seat as 27th Judicial District Circuit Court Judge.
The son of the late Dr. and Mrs. William B. Acree Sr. of Ridgely, he is a 1962 graduate of the former Ridgely High School, a 1966 graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville with an undergraduate degree in business administration and a 1968 graduate of the UT-K law school. He also served two years in the U.S. Army.
He is married to the former Ginny O’Brien and has five children.
Editor’s note: Chris Menees is a Staff Reporter for The Messenger in Union City. She may be contacted by email at cmenees@ucmessenger.com.
WCP 9.11.12
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