Attorney Edwin Sadler has announced that he is seeking the Republican nomination for the office of Public Defender for the 13th Judicial District in the upcoming May 6 Primary. The 13th Judicial District an area consisting of seven Upper Cumberland Counties: Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Overton, Pickett, Putnam and White.
Sadler, who has practiced law for over 35 years, said, “The United States Constitution guarantees to each citizen charged with a crime the right to a fair trial regardless of their economic or social status. The role of public defender is a critical element to this guarantee in that he is the official charged with representing those defendants who are without money or other resources and cannot adequately defend themselves.”
A resident of Putnam County, Sadler’s law practice has been principally devoted to the practice of criminal law, initially as a criminal defense lawyer and more recently as a criminal prosecutor.
He has been a special DUI prosecutor for the Governor’s Highway Safety Act, and since 2007 has served as an assistant district attorney in the 15th Judicial District. Sadler is a graduate of the Career Prosecutor School located in San Diego, California.
He is an experienced criminal trial lawyer and during his career has been successfully involved in both the defense and prosecution of individuals charged with 1st degree murder as well as other crimes. In 2006, Sadler was the recipient of the Putnam County Bar Association’s “Others Before Self” Award.
After graduation from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in 1970, Sadler served as Director of Special Education in five counties. While working, he attended the Nashville School of Law and graduated in 1975.
Sadler has been married to his high school sweetheart, Jane Craighead Sadler, for 43 years, and the couple have four children, Brett (married to Krystyn Cochran), Bryan, Blake and daughter Sonja Sadler House (married to Billy House, Jr). Sadler has been a member of the Church of Christ since 1964.
In making his announcement Sadler, stated, “I have been a Tennessean and resident of the Upper Cumberland for practically my entire life. Jane and I consider it an honor and a privilege to have worked and raised a family in the Upper Cumberland. I was raised in a family dedicated to service and it’s my desire to offer myself to the citizens of the 13th Judicial District as a candidate for this important position in the upcoming May 6th Republican Primary. Your vote and support will be appreciated.”