Vanessa Pettigrew Bryan retired as District Public Defender of the 21st Judicial District effective Nov. 1, 2020, after 31 years of service. The 21st District comprises Willliamson, Hickman, Lewis, and Perry counties. She joined the Public Defender’s office as an assistant public defender when the conference was created in 1989. She was elected to her first eight-year term as Public Defender in 2006 and was re-elected in 2014
A retirement event was held in her honor on October 29 in the Historic Williamson County Courthouse Community Room, which in its past was the General Sessions Courtroom where Bryan began her career as a magistrate and the first female judicial commissioner.
State Representative Sam Whitson presented Bryan with a proclamation from the House lauding her years of service and signed by Gov. Bill Lee. State Senator Jack Johnson presented her with a Tennessee state flag which flew over the state capitol in appreciation from the Senate and Gov. Lee.
Regarding her retirement, Bryan said:
“My duty as a public defender has been to meet with children of God who are in trouble, and to use any talent I might have to allow those children to find their way back into balance, sobriety, and happiness. Hopefully, those beloved children were reunited with family, friends, and the community. Within the structure of the law, they achieved freedom to shine as only each one could.
“Over the last several days, my staff, friends, and family have surrounded me with love and support as I turn the page to my next chapter. Words cannot express the love I feel for those who have shown the light of lifelong relationships. Like George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” today I am the wealthiest person on earth, accompanied by angels who are sweetly singing that I made it.”
