Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced two judicial appointments on Thursday, naming a new circuit court judge for the state’s 20th Judicial District and district attorney for the 31st Judicial District.
I’m proud to announce the appointment of these highly qualified individuals & value the significant experience they will bring to their respective roles the judicial branch.
I appreciate their leadership & am confident they will serve Tennesseans with integrity.
Link:… pic.twitter.com/jlN96GPdat
— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) November 21, 2025
Lee announced Bethany Glandorf (pictured above, right) has been appointed circuit court judge for the 20th Judicial District, which covers Davidson County.
Glandorf was one of five applicants reviewed by the Trial Court Vacancy Commission for the vacancy in the 20th Judicial District following the retirement of the Honorable Phillip R. Robinson in October. She went on to become one of three nominees advanced by the Commission sent to the governor for his consideration.
According to her nomination application, Glandorf currently serves as the special master for the Third Circuit Court of Davidson County, a dedicated family-law court in Nashville.
Appointed in 2023, Glandorf oversees judicial settlement conferences, discovery disputes, child support hearings, and order of protection matters, and assists Judge Phillip Robinson with legal research, writing, and case preparation.
Her role also includes managing pro se divorce cases and conducting indigency hearings for all Davidson County circuit courts.
Before her appointment as special master, Glandorf spent more than a decade in private practice concentrating on family law across Middle Tennessee where she handled divorces, custody disputes, orders of protection, adoption cases, contempt actions, juvenile matters, and appeals.
Her resume also includes work on real-estate litigation and criminal cases. Earlier, she worked as an Administrative Hearing Officer for the Tennessee Department of Human Services, presiding over appeals involving TennCare, Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, and child-support enforcement programs.
Further, Glandorf has been part of several notable cases, including a successful Tennessee Court of Appeals challenge in Fry v. Fry, where she helped a client secure long-delayed access to her share of military retirement benefits. She also represented victims in cases involving domestic violence and coercive control, obtaining and defending protective orders and successfully challenging a grandparent visitation petition that lacked legal standing.
As special master, she has helped resolve multiple high-asset and high-conflict divorce cases, including those involving complex finances and lengthy trial settings.
In the 31st Judicial District, which covers Van Buren and Warren Counties, Lee appointed Matthew Colvard (pictured above, left) as district attorney following the resignation of District Attorney General Chris Stanford, who was indicted for allegedly firing a weapon while trying to apprehend a man accused of triple homicide.
Colvard has been serving as interim district attorney since Stanford’s resignation in October.
An Army veteran, Colvard has served as an assistant district attorney in the 31st Judicial District for the past 15 years and previously worked as a criminal investigator and as an assistant district attorney in the 21st Judicial District.
“To the citizens of Warren and Van Buren Counties…My commitment is simple. I intend to strengthen our partnership with law enforcement, support meaningful rehabilitation when offenders are amenable to rehabilitation, and pursue firm, decisive consequences for repeat offenders who threaten the safety and stability of our communities. Justice must be fair, but it must also be effective,” Colvard said in a statement.
Colvard’s appointment was applauded by the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference.
“Governor Lee’s appointment of Matthew Colvard reflects a commitment to strong, principled leadership in the 31st Judicial District,” Stephen Crump, the conference’s executive director, said.
Both Glandorf and Colvard’s appointments are effective immediately.
“I am proud to announce the appointment of these highly qualified individuals and value the significant experience they will bring to their respective roles. I appreciate their leadership and am confident they will serve Tennesseans with integrity,” the governor said in a statement.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Bethany Glandorf ” by Tennessee Bar Association and “Matt Colvard” is by Matt Colvard.
