The Hon. J. Branden Bellar is a judge for the Smith County General Sessions Court in Tennessee. He was appointed to the bench by the Smith County Commission on August 31, 2020, filling a vacancy created by the elevation of the Hon. Michael Collins to the 15th Judicial District Circuit Court.
Prior to his appointment, Bellar owned and operated his own legal practice alongside his wife in Carthage. He represented corporations, small businesses, local governments, churches, and individuals in criminal defense, civil litigation, and family law matters, supplementing his practice with service as the County Attorney for Smith County and Trousdale County, the City Attorney for the City of Red Boiling Springs, and the attorney for the Nashville and Eastern Railroad Authority.
Bellar earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee in 1991. He then completed a J.D. at the University of Memphis, Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, in 1995.
He is licensed to practice in Tennessee (1995), the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit (1996), and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee (1999).
His memberships have included the Tennessee Bar Association.
Born in Carthage, Tennessee, Bellar was raised in Elmwood and Stonewall. He attended Gordonsville High School. His parents both pursued legal careers, with his father working as an attorney and his mother working as a legal assistant. Bellar and his wife, Kara, reside in Gordonsville with their two children.