Commish to interview six magistrate candidates today to replace Brown

The Knox County Commission today will interview the six candidates to replace judicial commissioner Mark Brown, who announced his resignation earlier this month. (Note: judicial commissioners also are called magistrates.)

The county has five magistrates, often called judicial commissioners, who work 36 hours per week on a rotating schedule. The magistrates are charged with reviewing applications for warrants and summonses and conduct the initial court appearances of prisoners via closed-circuit television.

Here's a brief snapshot of the candidates based on their cover letters and resumes, which you can find RIGHT SMACK HERE):

• Alexander Brown: A 20-year Knoxville residents and attorney since 2002, he has tried cases in state and federal courts and handled appeals as high as the U.S. Supreme Court. He’s served as a substitute magistrate. He earned his law degree from UT.
• Michael Cabage: An attorney since 2000 and a graduate of UT, he runs his own law practice, focusing on criminal defense, personal injury, workers’ comp, collections, family law and veterans’ benefits.
• Dustin Dunham: Served as the primary substitute judicial magistrate since late December 2010, working more than 3,075 hours as a magistrate (this equals one year and six months on the job, Dunham notes). He worked as a personnel administrator for the United States Marine Corps from 1997-2001, earned his law degree from the University of Memphis in 2010 and has since then worked as a solo practitioner.
• Sharon Frankenberg: Earned law degree from UT in 1998 and works as a lawyer and community speaker. Also published two federal appellate cases.
• Rhonda Lee: earned law degree in 2012 from the Nashville School of Law and runs a solo practice, as well as teaches law courses at Pellissippi State Community College. Also, spent a year working as a supervisor in the Anderson County District Attorney General’s Office, and a year in the Knox County District Attorney General’s Office in the child abuse division.
• Patrick Looper: An attorney since 2000, he’s also served as a police consultant since 1992 and worked for 11 years as a police academy instructor and a decade as a state trooper for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.