The Hon. John D. Wootten (Ret.) served as a judge for the 15th Judicial District Circuit Court of Tennessee. Wootten was elected to the bench in 1998. He retired on January 1, 2020.
The 15th Judicial District encompasses Jackson, Macon, Smith, Trousdale and Wilson Counties.
Prior to his election, Wootten was an assistant district attorney with the 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, a position to which he was named in 1984.
Wootten earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee in 1975. He then completed a J.D. at the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1977.
After graduating from law school, Wootten began his legal career as a judge advocate with the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the United States Air Force. He served in that capacity until 1982, supplementing his work with service in the Tennessee Air National Guard.