White County Honors Retiring Judge

General Sessions Judge Sam Benningfield stepping down after 24 years of service to the county.

Benningfield said he heard cases for misdemeanor criminals, felony arraignments, and civil lawsuits up to $25,000. Benningfield said the greatest challenge that a judge has to adhere to is being reliable in their rulings.

“In like circumstances, you should have like results,” Benningfield said. “And not to sign cases based on who you know or who they are, but just on the facts and the law. And try to be as consistent, if just in that, every time.”

Benningfield said he joined the Navy after college and then became a state probation officer while going to law school at night. Benningfield said he eventually became a U.S. probation officer before taking the role of an assistant district attorney general for Tennessee’s thirteenth judicial district.

“From that position I was elected judge in 1998 at general sessions court,” Benningfield said.

Benningfield said he also worked as judge for the juvenile, family, probate, and mental health courts. Benningfield said one of the most noteworthy cases of his career was a complicated divorce in Van Buren County that took nearly four days to complete.

“There was a lot of issues and I remember struggling with that case about as much as any other,” Benningfield said.

Born in Campbellsville, Kentucky, Benningfield came to Sparta in the sixth grade. Benningfield said he has spent the majority of his life in Sparta ever since then.

“Except for my time in the Navy and a couple of years in Nashville when I was working for (the) United States District Court as probation officer there, so the rest of the time I’ve been in Sparta,” Benningfield said. “So I consider Sparta my home, for sure. I went junior high school, high school here. Went to Tennessee Tech. Commuted from Sparta a couple of those years.”