Attorney Lee Wilson is the new judge of Division 10 General Sessions Criminal Court.

The Shelby County Board of Commissioners Monday appointed Wilson to the vacancy created by the Jan. 2 death of Judge Anthony Johnson. He died of a heart attack.

Wilson was one of 15 applicants for the vacancy, one of two in the local court system. Some of the contenders are expected to apply to the Tennessee Judicial Selection Commission for the vacancy created by the death of Circuit Court Judge Rita Stotts, who died the same day as Johnson. Stotts died of complications from cancer.

Commission balloting went to a second round after a first round in which Wilson got five of the seven votes he needed. Attorney Coleman Garrett and county Equal Opportunity Compliance office administrator Carolyn Watkins each got three votes. All three advanced to the second round.

Garrett got no votes in the second round. Wilson got nine of the 13 votes. Watkins got the remaining four.

Wilson is a former assistant Shelby County district attorney general in private practice for the past 15 years. Born in Millington, Wilson has been a lawyer for 25 years.

Read more about Wilson’s selection and his plans for the court in Wednesday’s edition of The Daily News