There are 238 article(s) tagged Tami Sawyer:

• June 2026

  • Sanford: Politics aside, suspended court clerk Tami Sawyer faces her lowest moment

    Have Tennessee GOP leaders conveniently forgotten about the proven criminality in their own party?

    By Otis Sanford June 25, 2026

  • Ask the Memphian: What exactly is a grand jury, and how do they work?

    What exactly is a grand jury, and how do they work? In this week’s installment of “Ask the Memphian,” we talked to attorneys, prosecutors and jurors to answer those questions.

    By Jody Callahan June 22, 2026

  • Tami Sawyer suspended as clerk, Stanton appointed as interim

    General Sessions Court judges suspended their clerk with pay two days after she made her first court appearance on federal theft, wire fraud and money laundering charges.

    Related content: 

    Tami Sawyer indictment renews Republican push for state intervention

    By Laura Testino, Bill Dries June 18, 2026

  • Tami Sawyer indictment renews Republican push for state intervention

    One of the Republican contenders for governor says it’s time “to shake up the court system in Shelby County.”

    By Bill Dries June 18, 2026

  • Can a Court Clerk be suspended? Otis Jackson was in 2011.

    General Sessions Court Clerk Tami Sawyer pleaded not guilty this week to federal charges. Her attorney said she plans to continue working as clerk while awaiting trial.

    By Bill Dries June 17, 2026

  • Tami Sawyer indicted, faces federal corruption charges

    The Shelby County General Sessions Court clerk was seen in custody at the Odell Horton Federal Building.

    By Bill Dries, Brandon LaGrone II June 16, 2026

• February 2026

  • Commissioners have questions even as crime dashboard contract gets approved

    The criminal justice system dashboard will track cases from arrest to however the they end in the court system.

    By Bill Dries February 10, 2026

• December 2025

  • No charges against Sawyer in courthouse dispute, DA’s office says

    Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies and General Sessions Court Clerk Tami Sawyer clashed over whether her private security guard could carry a gun inside the D’Army Bailey courthouse.

    By Bill Dries December 10, 2025

• November 2025

  • Clerk Tami Sawyer sued by former employee

    Jeffrey Allen Walker alleges he was fired after he reported questionable spending on an office credit card.

    By Jody Callahan November 15, 2025

• October 2025

  • TBI asked to review Tami Sawyer confrontation with deputies

    Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has been asked to review an Oct. 7 dispute between the general sessions clerk and Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies outside the county courthouse.

    By Jody Callahan October 18, 2025

  • Lowery wants a ‘change in culture,’ Pearson gears up fundraising, and Republicans want Sawyer to resign

    Also in the political roundup: Congressional contender Justin J. Pearson campaigns. And General Sessions Court Clerk Tami Sawyer is asked to resign over a recorded courthouse confrontation.

    By Bill Dries October 13, 2025

• September 2025

  • Mayor Young’s strategy for working with the National Guard

    The arrival of National Guard troops in Memphis is the most rigorous test yet of Mayor Paul Young’s strategy for working with Republicans at the state and federal levels in the Tennessee’s bluest city.

    By Bill Dries September 12, 2025

• August 2025

  • ‘We know we need a new jail': Commission reacts to ambitious Firestone jail plan

    While most county commissioners support building a new jail, not all of them agree on where its built, who pays for it and who’s included. 

    Related story:

    New jail targets Firestone site, aims to move more than jail

    By Bill Dries August 07, 2025

• June 2025

  • County Commission re-mixes budget on eve of new fiscal year

    A special meeting of the Shelby County Commission Monday was delayed for two hours in a dramatic rewriting of a key budget provision.

    By Bill Dries June 30, 2025

• August 2024

  • Tami Sawyer takes oath as General Sessions Court clerk

    The former county commissioner and a set of 15 appointed staff members formally take office Sept. 1 in the office that administers the day-to-day business of the largest court in the state.

    By Bill Dries August 29, 2024

  • The race for General Sessions Court clerk and why it’s important

    Lisa Arnold and Tami Sawyer are the candidates in the only countywide race on the Aug. 1 ballot. The election will mean a change in the administrator and records keeper for the state’s largest court system.

    Related stories:

    Lisa Arnold, Tami Sawyer on their plans if elected General Sessions Court clerk

    Lisa Arnold, Tami Sawyer on their qualifications for General Sessions Court clerk

    By Bill Dries August 03, 2024

  • Lisa Arnold, Tami Sawyer on their qualifications for General Sessions Court clerk

    Here is what the two contenders for General Sessions Court clerk told The Daily Memphian about their qualifications to be the next clerk of the largest court system in the state.

    By Bill Dries August 03, 2024

  • Lisa Arnold, Tami Sawyer on their plans if elected General Sessions Court clerk

    Here is what the two contenders for General Sessions Court clerk told The Daily Memphian about what they each would do if they win the Aug. 1 election.

    By Bill Dries August 03, 2024

  • Sawyer is new General Sessions Court clerk

    Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer won a hard-fought partisan contest for General Sessions Court Clerk in the only countywide race on the Thursday, Aug. 1, ballot.

    By Bill Dries August 03, 2024

  • Sawyer says Republican strategy in clerk’s race backfired

    Clerk-elect Tami Sawyer said her opponent’s campaign focus on Sawyer’s activist roots was ignored by voters. “I talked about my priorities. The other party talked about me,” she told The Daily Memphian.

    By Bill Dries August 02, 2024

• February 2024

  • General Sessions Court Clerk’s race in shadow of presidential primaries

    The incumbent’s attendance record and the backlog of criminal court cases are issues in the race in the four-way Democratic primary for General Sessions court clerk. The winner of the Republican primary was decided at the filing deadline last year.

    By Bill Dries February 12, 2024

• December 2023

  • Strickland exits as a tough political foe and dominant force in local politics

    With an ability to cross racial lines, the outgoing Memphis mayor was a boss who knew how to delegate and trust experts but did not abdicate responsibility for making decisions. 

    By Samuel Hardiman, Bill Dries December 31, 2023

• November 2023

  • Tami Sawyer to run for General Sessions Court Clerk

    The clerk’s office is the only countwide office on the March 5 primary ballot and with Sawyer’s entry the Democratic primary has three candidates. The filing deadline for the Democratic and Republican primaries is Dec. 14.

    By Bill Dries November 15, 2023

• June 2022

  • While other areas quickly fill legislative vacancies, Shelby County has reasons to wait

    Republican-controlled county commissions in other parts of Tennessee have moved fast when state legislative seats open up, appointing replacements in less than a month.

    By Ian Round June 16, 2022

• April 2022

  • As juvenile detention center doubles in cost, commissioner questions special meeting held to approve extra funding

    County Commission Chair Willie Brooks denied that the meeting was called to try to hide the 8-0 vote on emergency funding for the project. 

    By Bill Dries April 12, 2022