Faculty Profile: Zachary Walden

Judge Zachary R. Walden has presided over Criminal Court, Recovery Court, and Veterans Treatment Court for Tennessee’s Eighth Judicial District since his election in 2022. Judge Walden also serves as the East Tennessee Governor and Mock Trial Long Range Planning Coordinator for the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, chairs the Tennessee Criminal Pattern Jury Instructions Committee, and is a member of the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Technology Oversight Committee. He is a past President of the Knoxville Barristers. He has been recognized by the American Bar Association with the On the Rise Award, was named in the Knoxville News Sentinel’s 40 under 40, and recognized as the University of Alabama School of Law’s Rising Young Lawyer award recipient in 2025. He is also a recipient of the TBA YLD President’s Award, Special Recognition Award, and Public Service Award. Judge Walden is a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law and East Tennessee State University. Prior to his election, Judge Walden was an attorney at Eldridge & Blakney in Knoxville.