The Hon. John P. Colton, Jr. (Ret.) is a former judge for the 30th Judicial District Criminal Court of Tennessee in Shelby County. He was appointed to the bench in 1990. Colton retired in 2010.
Prior to his appointment, he was in private practice for twelve years and served as an assistant public defender in Shelby County for eleven years.
Colton earned a bachelor’s degree in history and biology from the University of Memphis. He then completed a J.D. at the University of Memphis, Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, in 1964.
His memberships include the Shelby County Bar Association, the American Trial Lawyers Association, the American Judicature Society, and the Tennessee Bar Association. From a civic standpoint, Colton was involved with the Memphis Runners Track Club and the Memphis YMCA.
His family has resided in Memphis, Tennessee, since the mid-1800s. Colton’s father, Hon. John P. Colton, Sr., also sat as a judge for the Shelby County Criminal Court, holding tenure for thirteen years (1967 to 1980). Raised in North Memphis, Colton attended Christian Brothers High School.