The Hon. J. Steve Daniel (Ret.) is a former judge for the 16th Judicial District Circuit Court of Tennessee. He was elected to the bench in 1980. Daniel retired on July 1, 2004, and began a tenure as a senior judge.
The 16th Judicial District includes Cannon and Rutherford Counties.
Following his tenure as senior judge for the state judiciary, he accepted a position as chief disciplinary counsel for the Court of the Judiciary in 2007. Daniel, who was tasked with investigating complaints of judicial misconduct filed against state judges, stepped down from the role in 2010.
He received a bachelor’s degree in business and business finance from Louisiana State University.
Daniel was a president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference and the Tennessee Trial Judges Association and a fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation. In addition, he served as a member of the Judicial Evaluations Guidelines Commission and the Tennessee Judicial Council.
He taught as an adjunct professor at Middle Tennessee State University and the Nashville School of Law. Daniel also served on the faculty of the National Judicial College and was an instructor at the Tennessee Judicial Academy, the Tennessee Judicial Conference, and the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association.
He attended North Little Rock High School. Daniel enlisted in the United States Army and later became a commissioned officer, serving as a judge advocate general in the United States Army Reserve.