The Hon. Stella L. Hargrove (Ret.) served as a judge for the 22nd Judicial District Circuit Court of Tennessee. Hargrove was elected to the bench in 1998 and re-elected in 2006 and 2014. She retired at the conclusion of her term in 2022.
The 22nd Judicial District encompasses Giles, Lawrence, Maury, and Wayne Counties. Over the course of her judicial career, Hargrove played an instrumental role in the creation of a drug recovery court in Maury County.
Hargrove earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee in 1972. She then completed a J.D. at Nashville School of Law in 1977.
After graduating from law school, Hargrove entered into private practice, specializing in domestic relations, probate, and criminal defense matters. She worked in that capacity until 1988, at which time she became an assistant district attorney with the 22nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office. During her tenure there, she held assignments as a special prosecutor for drug and child abuse cases.
Her memberships have included the Maury County Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, and the Tennessee Trial Judges Association. She has also been involved with APSAC - A Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, the Kiwanis Club of Columbia TN, and the Maury Alliance.
She was named Woman of the Year by the Business and Professional Women’s Club (2000).
Hargrove and her husband, Dr. Joel Hargrove, have two children. Joel has worked as an obstetrician and gynecologist in Columbia.