A criminally indicted Shelby County judge, who last week was jailed for her alleged cocaine use, has reportedly asked to resign from her public position.
Shelby County Judge Melissa Boyd asked to resign from her judgeship in a letter dated March 29, according to Fox 13, which reported that Boyd’s letter bears the signature of one of her criminal defense attorneys.
The letter from Boyd (pictured above) is dated just two days after she was confined to a Memphis jail last Wednesday. Originally granted a $5,000 bond after she was charged with criminally harassing and coercing a former campaign employee, prosecutors stated Boyd failed multiple drug tests and then refused to test.
She will now remain incarcerated until her trial, which is planned to start this month.
Prosecutors claimed the drug tests Boyd appeared for showed evidence the judge was using cocaine and abusing alcohol despite recently finishing a drug rehabilitation program.
Though it was initially reported Boyd would resign effective immediately, ABC 24 reported the judge wrote in her letter that she will resign on May 31.
Previously, Boyd’s attorney acknowledged in court that the judge “is in full relapse” in a bid to convince the court to consider options other than incarceration.
Boyd won her election by 165 votes in 2022, and because she is an elected official, she can only be removed from office before her term expires in 2030 if the Tennessee General Assembly determines she is unfit for office.
Lawmakers began the process of removing Boyd earlier this year and are scheduled to next contemplate her removal in April.
The Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct (BJC) indefinitely suspended her in December after she was criminally indicted and recommended for removal from the office board in January.
The board declared Boyd “solely responsible” for the criminal and professional consequences she faces and determined “to protect the public and preserve the trust and confidence in the integrity of the judiciary and the proper administration of justice.”
Before her legal issues mounted, Boyd was criticized for lowering the bail of a man accused of setting a dog on fire, threatening to shoot reporters and burn his neighbor’s home from $150,000 to $5,000.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
