A native of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Judge Cheryl Blackburn received her Bachelor of Arts (with honors) and her Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Vanderbilt University. She worked as a psychological examiner, employed by both the Dede Wallace Center (Centerstone) and the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation (now known as the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and D
evelopmental Disabilities). Appearing in court to testify about forensic evaluations heightened her interest in the law; thus, she enrolled in the Nashville School of Law night program. Upon being awarded her Juris Doctorate, she joined the Davidson County District Attorney’s Office where she served as an Assistant District Attorney under Judge Thomas Shriver and General Victor S. Her work resulted in her being awarded the Tennessee District Attorney’s Conference Extraordinary Service Award in 1991, and the Metropolitan Police Department Special Commendation Award in 1995. During her tenure, she and a colleague were appointed as the first Deputies for the office. Judge Blackburn has been certified as a Criminal Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Education and Specialization; she was the first female to be certified as a Criminal Trial Specialist in Tennessee. After practicing law for 17 years, Judge Blackburn was appointed as Judge for Division III of the Criminal Court by the Tennessee Governor in 1996. Judge Blackburn has taught the Crimes course at Nashville School of Law. She has been a longstanding member of the Lawyers Association for Women (LAW), joining the Marion Griffin chapter in the early 1980s, shortly after its founding. Judge Blackburn also is a member of the Nashville Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, American Inns of Court, the Tennessee Trial Judges Association, the National Association of Women Judges, and the American Judges Association. She is a fellow of both the Nashville and Tennessee Bar Associations. Judge Blackburn is a member of the Tennessee Judicial Conference where she has served on the Ethics Committee, the Judicial Performance Program Committee, and the Pattern Jury Instruction (Criminal) Committee. Judge Cheryl Blackburn possesses significant experience in criminal trial work and courtroom management.
