Contributed photo / Pikeville, Tenn., resident Ben FarmerPIKEVILLE, Tenn. – Disciplinary action has been taken against two area judges stemming from complaints filed with the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct that contained allegations of an extramarital affair, judge shopping, judicial impropriety and ethical lapses.
The judges named in the two complaints and a letter from the board are Bledsoe County General Sessions Judge Howard Upchurch and 12th Judicial District Circuit Judge J. Curtis Smith, both of whom have held their posts for decades.
The complaint is related to ongoing divorce proceedings between Pikeville husband and wife, Ben and Stacy Farmer, who recently ran against each other for Bledsoe County school board. Ben Farmer won.
The board took disciplinary action against both judges related to the complaints, according to a letter board chair Dee David Gay sent to Ben Farmer on Aug. 13. There was no indication what action was taken or which allegations from the complaints it was based on.
Ben Farmer, who filed the complaints on June 5 and received the response from the board, provided the response letter to the Times Free Press.