Embattled Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Melissa Boyd has signaled her intention to vacate her position amid a swirl of allegations and legal woes. Boyd, who has found herself the focus of drug and harassment allegations, provided a resignation letter effective May 31, an exit that follows her bond being revoked on account of failing drug tests for cocaine and alcohol. The letter, furnished by her attorney, was received by the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts, with the resignation date being notably set just before the legislative hammer could come down to potentially forcibly remove her from office.
Boyd's decision to resign rather publicly attempts to quell the tumultuous narrative that has enveloped her career. Last week, Boyd's bond was yanked after a reported drug test failure, which WREG states revealed cocaine and alcohol in her system. Her challenges began as early as May 2023 when she was first suspended due to alleged drug use. This comes off the heels of accusations and subsequent charges of witness coercion and harassment in December.
The resignation, as reported by The Commercial Appeal, was communicated through a letter from Boyd’s legal ethics attorney, Brian Faughnan. The lawyer affirmed being explicitly authorized "by Judge Melissa Boyd to send this letter as her formal letter to communicate she wishes to resign, with an effective date of May 31, from her position as a Criminal Court Judge for the 30th Judicial district at Memphis."
Boyd's turbulent tenure experienced a steady downfall since her suspension, with her resuming a problematic pattern post-treatment. Both prosecutors and her attorneys acknowledge she’s been unable to successfully maintain sobriety following her inpatient treatment for drug use. FOX13 Memphis reports that according to both her defense and the prosecution, Boyd is said to be in "full relapse," with at least two documented instances of testing positive for cocaine and alcohol within just a month since her release from a treatment facility.
As her tenure approaches a sordid end, Judge Boyd will remain in the public eye as her resignation unfolds, and the legal proceedings against her continue to map the consequences of a career marred by scandal and accusations of unfitness for the judiciary.
