Suspended Campbell County Judge Amanda Sammons pleaded not guilty Thursday to four felony counts of official misconduct for her handling of cases while she was on the bench.
A jury trial has been set for Nov. 1. The trial is expected to last three or four days.
Until then, Sammons will remain free on her on recognizance.
The self-proclaimed “blue-eyed assassin” has been under scrutiny for months as defense attorneys – and even the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office – have accused her of overstepping her authority.
Sammon’s attorney, Wade Davies, declined to comment after the arraignment. During the hearing, he pushed for a speedy trial, saying Sammons is an elected officials and wanted to get back to her position as soon as possible.
Earlier this month a grand jury indicted Sammons on the four counts which were tied to two separate cases. In addition, the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct has temporary suspended her from performing any actions as a judge.
Each of the Class E felonies carries up to two years for someone with no criminal record.
As it stands, four East Tennessee judges have taken over the cases she was initially supposed to oversee. In addition, the Campbell County Commission is accepting resumes to replace her.
Judge Shayne Sexton recused himself from hearing Sammons’ case. Senior Judge Paul Summer, who typically operates out of Nashville, will preside.
While suspended, Sammons, who was elected to the bench in 2014, can still draw her judicial pay.
Earlier this year, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and special prosecutor Dan Armstrong began looking into allegations that Sammons was lying and misusing her authority.
Armstrong prosecutes cases in Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins and Hancock counties but was brought in specifically to look into Sammons' conduct after Campbell County prosecutors stepped aside.
He said little after the hearing but noted that "we want to make sure we do everything the right way to afford the target of an investigation or allegations all we can so they get a fair trial."
Two of the counts against Sammons are tied to a case involving a 26-year-old Krista Smith of Jacksboro.
In March, Sammons, 41, was removed from presiding over her case.
Smith was pulled over by a Caryville police officer in January 2016 because her children were not wearing seatbelts. The officer arrested her, and she was charged with child endangerment. However, while she was in the Campbell County jail, deputies said Sammons called and had her charges revised to aggravated child abuse and neglect – a much more serious charge.
Sammons denied making that change, but records kept by the jail dispute that. As a result, Smith’s attorney asked for Sammons to remove herself from the case, claiming she could not remain impartial. Sammons denied that request in February.
In March, Judge Shayne Sexton, of the criminal division, heard Smith’s appeal, and ruled that Sammons would be removed from the case.
Sexton noted in his finding at the time that the district attorney had also asked for an independent investigation of Sammons to determine if she had undertaken any criminal conduct.
A third count against Sammons is connected to attorney Kristie Anderson, who represented Smith. The other count is tied to Julie Lester, who also was one of Anderson’s clients.
In September 2014, Sammons issued a show-cause order against Anderson and Lester, saying they should be held for contempt of court because they didn’t appear for a hearing, according to Sammons’ indictment.
Anderson was not aware of the hearing. Sammons changed her story several times about why she issued the order, prosecutors have said.
A native of Memphis, Sammons moved to Jacksboro 14 years ago. An online biography states she'd wanted to be a lawyer since she was a child "so she could help people."
She studied law at the University of Tennessee's College of Law and ended up becoming a prosecutor in Claiborne County.
It was while in the courtroom that Sammons acquired the nickname "The Blue-Eyed Assassin," her biography states. She prosecuted Sessions Court and Juvenile Court cases.