Tas Gardner Elected President of Tennessee District Public Defenders Conference

Robert Taswell “Tas” Gardner was elected by his fellow public defenders to serve as president of the Tennessee District Public Defenders Conference. The Conference is a statewide network of publicly elected district public defenders representing each of Tennessee’s thirty-two judicial districts. Across the state, more than four hundred attorneys work within these districts to fulfill the critical constitutional duty of defending people who cannot afford legal representation in criminal cases where their freedom is at risk.

As president, Gardner will lead the Conference’s Executive Committee, which supports public defenders across Tennessee and works with lawmakers on policies and procedures that impact the justice system. In this role, he will oversee the day-to-day business and affairs of the Conference.

Gardner serves as the public defender for Tennessee’s 24th Judicial District, covering Benton, Carroll, Decatur, Hardin, and Henry counties. He was appointed to the position by Governor Bill Haslam in February 2017 and elected to the role in August 2018. Gardner’s career with the 24th Judicial District Public Defender’s Office began in 1992 as an investigator, and he became an assistant public defender in 2008.

Alongside his work as a public defender, Gardner also served on the Board of Judicial Conduct from 2012 to 2015, where he helped review complaints filed against judges. He’s also a member of the Henry County Bar Association and the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.