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Assistant District Attorney and navy veteran Mike Gallegos is one of several candidates competing for the job of Blount County General Sessions Judge.
“My current job requires that I make decisions in court on a daily basis that affect not only the lives of those involved, but also the welfare of our community,” said Gallegos. “The cases have ranged from the simplest misdemeanors to first degree murder.”
“I believe a Judge should faithfully and impartially follow the law, work hard, treat people fairly, and hold wrongdoers responsible by imposing a meaningful punishment that will deter future criminal behavior and protect the safety of our community,” Gallegos said.
While Gallegos now lives in Maryville with his wife and four children, he graduated from Sevier County High School in 1985 and then from the University of Tennessee in 1990 with a dual major in political science and geography. He earned his Doctorate of Jurisprudence from the University of Memphis, graduating in 1994.
Over the past nine years he’s served as an Assistant District Attorney, Gallegos has tried thousands of criminal cases in General Sessions and Circuit Court.
He was enlisted in the United States Navy Reserve from 1985 until 1993, earning a Meritorious Service Medal.
According to Gallegos, he is a life-long republican and current member of the Blount County Republican Executive Committee.
“I believe a community and its safety is best served by a judge who’s fair and impartial and holds people accountable for their actions,” said Gallegos.
Gallegos will face incumbent Robert Cohen, Assistant district attorney Rocky Young and attorneys Tom McCroskey, Jim Snyder and Gerald Russell in the upcoming Republican Primaries. Also on the ballot is democratic candidate Steve Merritt.

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