Cleaner streets through cleaner people.
Drugs and addiction fuels the vast majority of crime in Shelby County. The Shelby County Drug Court is the home of an empowering program uniquely designed to give drug offenders a second chance. If people with addiction take advantage of the opportunity provided by the Drug Court, crime goes down for a cleaner Shelby County.
Consistency is key
I have witnessed the devastation of addiction in both my practice and in my personal life. I am uniquely qualified for the position as I have over 21 years representing drug dealers and addicts and have been able to effectively communicate with them. I have served as a Special Judge numerous times where I have handled hearings and the waivers of constitutional rights. I recognize that consistency is a key component for those in rehabilitation and that the Shelby County Drug Court is a special and unique program that has benefitted greatly under Judge Dwyer’s twenty-five years running it. I am ready, willing and able to run it for another twenty-five years.
About John
John Parker moved to Memphis when he was six. He graduated from White Station High School in 1993, earned his Bachelor of Arts at Mississippi State University in 1997 and his juris doctorate from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis in 2000. He met his wife, Emily, while they were in law school and were married six days after he graduated. They are currently raising two daughters, one cat and three dogs, including one foster from Memphis Animal Shelter. John Parker has been a litigation attorney with a focus on criminal defense for over 21 years and opened his own practice in 2008. In addition to managing his own office and employees, he has also managed an office suite of 11 individual attorneys and their staff. Since 2010 he has been one of only 42 attorneys approved by the Federal Court to represent indigent clients in the Western District of Tennessee pursuant to the Federal Criminal Justice Act. Over the course of his career John Parker has represented hundreds of people facing all manner of drug charges, from large drug conspiracies to misdemeanor possession. He has represented hundreds more charged with crimes related to their use and abuse of drugs and alcohol.
Why I’m Running
I am running because I want to help as many citizens of Shelby County as possible whose addiction has caused them to run afoul of the law. I have been a litigation attorney for over 21 years, with the majority of my cases being in the area of criminal defense. I opened my own practice in 2008 and since 2010 I have been one of only 42 attorneys approved by the Federal Court to represent indigent clients in the Western District of Tennessee pursuant to the Federal Criminal Justice Act. Over the years, I have not only managed my own office and employees but I have also managed a floor of eleven other attorneys and their staff. While serving as a Special Judge in every General Sessions Criminal court, I have presided over preliminary hearings, bond hearings and the waiver of constitutional rights. I have also served as a special prosecutor for the City of Memphis and presided over trials as a Special Judge in City Court. In my representation of thousands of individuals charged with a wide variety of criminal offenses, I have conducted well over one hundred bench and jury trials. I have represented countless dealers and addicts facing misdemeanor possession and major drug conspiracy charges and I am familiar with those left in the wake of their decisions. I am also a first-hand witness to the destruction caused by addiction in Shelby County and beyond. I have, and have had, family members lost to addiction.
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Your donation is an opportunity to help clean up Shelby County. Each donation will help John Parker keep the Drug Court’s excellent program going! Give today!