The trial of Shelby County Commissioner Edmund Ford Jr. for bribery and tax evasion charges was pushed back on the legal calendar on Thursday, Sept. 25.
A new date of March 2, 2026, has been set. It was slated to begin in January.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker approved the later start. Ford’s attorney, Michael Scholl, made the request because of a busy schedule.
There were no objections from federal prosecutors.
Scholl also informed Parker that he intends to file a motion to dismiss the charges.
Ford was indicted in late February for allegedly awarding grants to area nonprofits in exchange for the purchase of laptops at an area business he owns. He has denied all charges.
Earlier in the month, he successfully defeated an effort to revive the shuttered county ethics commission being pursued by Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris. He pulled the plug on the endeavor after the county commission pushed a resolution to renew the oversight board to the next calendar year.
Ford’s parents, Memphis City Council member Edmund Ford Sr. and Myrna Ford, were present at the hearing.
