Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris announced in a news release Tuesday, Jan. 6, he will appoint Jerri Green as the interim Shelby County Chief Public Defender. Green will begin her transition into the role on January 12, 2026. Green has been with Shelby County Government since 2021 and currently serves as deputy chief of staff for the Office of the Mayor.
Green received her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 2003. Following law school graduation, she served as a public defender in Davidson County.
Green has represented clients in General Sessions and state court, as well as in juvenile court, since 2006. She worked in the Shelby County Public Defender’s Office from 2009 to 2010.
She will replace Phyllis Aluko who is set to retire at the end of this month.
Since rejoining the Mayor’s Office, Green has taken on major justice reforms like codifying the elimination of excessive use of solitary confinement for adults and juveniles in Shelby County, creating a website for justice-involved residents to find jobs, supporting the staffing of all police precincts with youth counselors, and addressing the proliferation of guns in Shelby County by starting the nation’s first free gun lock by mail program run by a local government, the news release from Harris’s office stated.
In 2024, Green has served on the Memphis City Council since 20024. She is also running to be the Democratic nominee for Tennessee governor.
“Jerri Green has dedicated most of her career to helping the indigent, vulnerable, and youth of Shelby County. She brings not only legal expertise, but a lifelong commitment to equity, accountability, and ensuring that every person has a meaningful voice in our justice system. In my office she’s worked to reduce recidivism through common sense programming, like job initiatives,” Harris stated in the new release. “Now, she can bring that innovative approach to the Public Defender’s Office.”
