Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

As a service to our readers, we are publishing profiles of Claiborne County candidates who have submitted their answers to a short survey. The firm deadline for all submissions is June 30 at 4 p.m.

Early voting begins on July 15. We will continue to publish in our July 6 and July 13 editions of the newspaper all survey answers that were submitted by the deadline.

Following is the profile of Thomas Tabor, who is running for the position of Criminal Court Judge for the 8th Judicial District.

I am Thomas J. Tabor Jr., Esq. and I am a present practicing lawyer in Tennessee with twenty (20) years of jury trial experience in both Criminal and Civil law.  I have an AS and BS Degree in Mining Engineering Technology from Bluefield State College in 1984, and a J.D. Degree in Law from the Appalachian School of Law in 2001.  I passed the Tennessee Bar in 2001, was admitted to the U.S. Eastern District of Tennessee  Court in 2003, was admitted to the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2009, and was admitted to the United States Supreme Court in 2009.  I am still presently practicing law while campaigning for 8th Judicial District Criminal Circuit Court Judge and I am presently in court practically everyday.

I have been married for 32 years to my wife Sheila Karen Inman Tabor and we are raising our four grandchildren Christian, Gabe, Khloe, and Lily.  We are conservatives and we both believe that Jesus Christ is the son of the living God and He is our savior.  We go to the House of God church in New Tazewell, TN.  We have lived and worked in the Claiborne County, TN for over Twenty-three (23) years.

I am the best candidate for the job of 8th Judicial District Criminal Court Judge for the Tennessee counties of Fentress, Scott, Union, Campbell, and Claiborne Counties due to my vast twenty (20) years legal experience in both jury and bench trials in criminal and civil court.  My 20 years of legal trial experience is actually in front of a judge or a jury in deciding cases in which my clients are involved.  I have had thousands of clients which need assistance and constitutional protection in which I was the sole lawyer representing the client.  Legal experience matters in this election in which I have twice as much experience then both of my opponents combined in this election.

The most pressing issue in this election pertaining to Criminal Circuit Court Judge is the issue of developing and instituting an improved drug court to assist the citizens of all five (5) counties and veterans of the five (5) counties in the 8th Judicial District.  All things can improve with change and change will have to happen to start the curb the effect of drugs upon our society which is the one of the main causes of crime.  I have some new ideas which I believe which will help with drug court and veteran drug court.

“For with God, nothing shall be impossible.”  Luke 1:37.  That is how I address any issue at this time as to this election campaign.