Short-term incumbent faces challenger for Juvenile Court judgeship

Hamilton County Juvenile Court

Yolanda Mitchell

Rob Philyaw

Editor’s note: This is one in a series of stories on contested races in area county and primary elections.

Two candidates for Hamilton County Juvenile Court judge have met before. That time neither won. This time one will.

When then-General Sessions Court Judge Ron Durby retired for health reasons on Oct. 2, 2012, both Rob Philyaw and Yolanda Mitchell sought the appointment to his position. Lila Statom won the appointment and is unopposed for election to a full eight-year term in August.

A year later, when Juvenile Court Judge Suzanne Bailey announced she would retire after 23 years on the bench, Philyaw again sought the Hamilton County Commission’s nomination. That time he got it, and he has served as Juvenile Court judge since April 2013.

Mitchell, 53, is challenging the Republican incumbent on the Democratic ticket. She had no opposition in the primary, earning 5,122 votes in a low-turnout race. Philyaw, 48, took 12,332 votes in his primary.