On Tuesday, the court’s board of professional responsibility issued an order against him after his case was heard on May 24. This order effectively prohibits Stout from ever practicing law in the state. The decision was made after Tennessee’s Supreme Court eliminated its rule that allowed attorneys to request reinstatement after five years.
Stout, aged 52, received a one-year prison sentence on May 2 for his marijuana conviction. However, this wasn’t the first time Stout faced consequences from the state. In June 2023, he resigned as a judge following a self-reported incident where he had an affair with a courthouse employee.
In spite of bringing up the previous disciplinary actions during the hearing, the order stated that the Panel did not consider it to be of great significance in their assessment of the charges.
According to the disbarment order, Stout had access to investigative information about crimes and potential criminals due to his position as a judge, which allowed him to receive warrants and interact with law enforcement officers.
According to the order, Mr. Stout had established a code word as a part of the process of buying and selling marijuana. The purpose of this code word was to alert his accomplice about any potential law enforcement actions that could benefit the accomplice by keeping him informed.
During the hearing, it was revealed that Stout’s actions had a negative impact on the Johnson County community. Specifically, the community lost confidence in the legal process within Johnson County as a result of Stout’s actions.
In the order, it was noted that Mr. Stout, who served as a juvenile judge, was involved in the illegal trafficking of marijuana. This was concerning, as it could have resulted in underage individuals appearing before him on matters related to the same controlled substance that he was involved in bringing into the State of Tennessee and Johnson County.
According to records, Stout surrendered himself for his sentence on Saturday and is currently being detained at the Morgan County Jail.
