Opinion: The powerful office few voters think about

The following is a paid political advertisement paid for by Randal Gilliam for District Attorney General, 31st Judicial District, Teresa Stinson, Treasurer.

By Randal Gilliam

The power to charge a crime is the power to change a life — for victims and defendants alike. Fortunately, most people will never find themselves in either position. Many voters never have reason to think about who makes those decisions, how much discretion that person holds, or what the District Attorney General actually does. But the power of that office touches everyone in our community. It sets the tone for justice in Warren and Van Buren Counties.

The office and its foundation

The office of District Attorney General is established in the Tennessee Constitution and further defined by Tennessee law. Tennessee is divided into 32 judicial districts. Each district elects its own District Attorney General to serve an eight-year term. The 31st Judicial District covers Warren and Van Buren Counties.

The District Attorney General is the chief criminal prosecutor for the district, responsible for prosecuting all felony and misdemeanor cases on behalf of the State of Tennessee. The District Attorney General is an independently elected constitutional officer who answers directly to the citizens of the district.

An extraordinary degree of power

It is not just what the office does that matters. It is the judgment required to exercise its authority fairly, firmly, and responsibly.

The District Attorney General makes decisions at every stage of a prosecution: whether to present a case to the grand jury, what charges to seek and at what level, whether to offer a plea agreement and on what terms, whether to pursue a case to trial, and whether a case should be dismissed. Those decisions are made within the legal system, but much of their force depends on the judgment, priorities, and integrity of the elected prosecutor.

Think about what that means for our community. A drug arrest is serious — and serious decisions follow. What happens next — whether a case is treated as a felony or a misdemeanor, whether a defendant faces trial or enters drug court, whether the outcome reflects how seriously this community takes the drug crisis — is shaped by the District Attorney’s judgment.

A case involving a public official, a person of wealth, or someone with political connections must receive the same treatment as any other case. That standard is ultimately set by the District Attorney. Equal accountability under the law cannot be a slogan. It must be the daily operating standard of the office.

Prosecutorial discretion is one of the most consequential forces in the American legal system. It is exercised under law, in courtrooms, and subject to ethical duties, but it still depends heavily on the character, experience, and judgment of the person elected to hold the office.

Why the right person matters

After 21 years as a felony prosecutor, including service as a specialized felony prosecutor focused on crimes against children, I understand that prosecution requires both firmness and restraint. Victims deserve strength. Defendants deserve fairness. The public deserves confidence that decisions are made on the evidence, under the law, and without favoritism.

The decisions begin on day one — and they do not wait. Charging decisions can shape the entire course of a case. Cases dismissed may not always be revived. A dangerous defendant who avoids accountability because of poor judgment or misplaced priorities does not wait for the office to correct course. The decisions made inside that office affect real people — victims, defendants, families, and communities — and many of those decisions carry consequences that cannot easily be undone.

The office demands judgment that has been tested, and experience that has been proven.

Charges change lives. The power to charge carries the duty to ensure every charge is just. Exercising that power requires judgment. And judgment defines a District Attorney General.

August 6th — your decision

On Thursday, August 6, 2026, the citizens of Warren and Van Buren Counties will vote in the election for District Attorney General of the 31st Judicial District. Early voting runs from July 17 through August 1. This is not a primary. This is the election. Whoever wins will serve the remainder of the current term, through 2030.

Deciding which charges to bring, determining which cases go forward and which do not, setting the standard for how this district handles drugs, crimes against children, domestic violence, and equal accountability under the law — all of it comes down to one vote on August 6th.

Few offices have the direct, daily impact on the lives of ordinary citizens that the office of District Attorney General does. Few decisions carry higher stakes than choosing who holds it.

Vote August 6th. To learn more about why I am the right person for this job, I invite you to visit Gilliam4DA.com. I am asking for your vote. The choice belongs to you.

Randal Gilliam is a candidate for District Attorney General of the 31st Judicial District. He has served as an assistant district attorney for 21 years, including service as a specialized felony prosecutor focused on crimes against children. He has been a faculty member of the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference Trial Advocacy School at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in Memphis since 2014.

The preceding article was paid for by Randal Gilliam for District Attorney General, 31st Judicial District, Teresa Stinson, Treasurer.