Meet Bryan Hoss — Red Bank City Judge

Bryan Hoss being sworn in as Red Bank City Judge

Sworn to serve Red Bank City Court

His Story

Hooked from day one.

After graduating from the McCallie School in 1993, Bryan attended Denison University in Granville, Ohio, earning a Bachelor of Arts in English and History. But long before law school, his direction changed during a summer job that would shape the rest of his life.

In 1996, while still in college, Bryan began working at the Hamilton County District Attorney's Office. It was there he met his mentor and future law partner, Lee Davis — and it was there he was introduced to the reality of criminal law in its most serious form.

On his first days in the office, Lee handed Bryan a first-degree murder file. “Help me get this ready for trial,” he was told by Lee. What followed wasn’t theory or classroom learning — it was real victims, real evidence, and real consequences. He read the witness statements, studied the forensic details, saw the law enforcement investigation which tracked the homicide to the shooter, and saw what justice required when the stakes were at their highest.

“After reading that file… seeing the evidence, the photos, the statements — I was hooked.”

That experience didn’t just teach him law — it clarified his purpose. But “hooked” doesn’t fully capture it. What stayed with him was the weight of responsibility — the understanding that the justice system isn’t abstract. It affects families, communities, individuals and their future. And it only works if the people inside it take it seriously.

Bryan returned to Chattanooga after college and continued working in the District Attorney’s Office, assisting prosecutors in jury trials and major felony cases, including homicide prosecutions, before even attending law school. Those early years weren’t about building a résumé — they were about building conviction: a belief that justice must be handled with preparation, integrity, and respect for human life.

That conviction has guided him ever since — not just in the cases he has taken, but in why he continues to serve today.

Bryan Hoss

25Years in the Courtroom

5–0Unanimous Appointment

Aug 6Election Day

A Call to Serve

When Red Bank needed a judge, they asked Bryan.

Bryan Hoss didn’t step into the role of Red Bank Municipal Judge because he was looking for it — he stepped into it because the City of Red Bank asked him to serve.

Following the long tenure of Judge Johnny Houston, Bryan was approached in December 2025 to fill the role. The Red Bank Commission voted unanimously, 5–0, to appoint him. For Bryan, that wasn’t just an appointment — it was a clear call from the community he calls home.

And once he stepped into the courtroom, the responsibility became even more real.

Since taking the bench, Bryan has seen firsthand what the job truly requires beyond statutes and procedures. It requires judgment — but also humanity. It requires structure — but also understanding. Most importantly, it requires balance.

“Since December, I have learned quite a bit about being a Judge. You have to be fair to people. You have to be impartial. We are trying to work with people and consider their life challenges.”

Week after week, the reality of the docket is not just cases — it’s people facing real struggles. Addiction. Anger. Mental health challenges. Broken circumstances that show up in a courtroom.

“Every week, we are trying to get people to alcohol and drug rehab. Or maybe they need anger management counseling or mental health treatment. These are all real life concerns that face criminal dockets every week.”

That reality shapes every decision. The role is not simply about punishment — it is about accountability paired with opportunity for change.

“There is a component of this job that requires you to balance how you might punish someone with how you can provide them with the help they need.”

That balance is why Bryan believes experience matters. Not just experience in law, but experience in the courtroom — understanding people, pressure, consequences, and outcomes.

“And that’s why you need an experienced Judge who is fair, balanced and ethical to carry out these tasks.”

A Career Built in the Courtroom

Few attorneys can match his depth of trial experience.

For more than 25 years, Bryan Hoss has built his career in the courtroom — where cases are argued, facts are tested, and justice is ultimately carried out in real time. His experience spans Tennessee state courts, federal court, and Georgia, grounded in one consistent focus: criminal law and trial practice.

After graduating from the University of Memphis School of Law in 2001, where he earned recognition for excellence in trial advocacy and oral argument, Bryan returned to Chattanooga and joined his mentor, Lee Davis, in private practice. From that point forward, his work has centered on the courtroom — not as an observer, but as a consistent and active trial attorney.

Over the course of his career, Bryan has handled a wide range of criminal defense and civil matters, with extensive experience in jury trials, felony litigation, evidentiary hearings, and complex courtroom proceedings. That includes decades of standing before judges, examining witnesses, evaluating evidence, and navigating the real pressures that come with criminal justice cases. And over those 25 years, his caseload has taken him to Red Bank Court where he has practiced throughout his career. He knows what happens in Red Bank Court.

His work has also included representing law enforcement organizations such as the Fraternal Order of Police and the Police Benevolent Association — giving him a unique perspective that includes both sides of the justice system: those who enforce the law and those who are impacted by it.

Bryan’s connection to Red Bank is long-standing. Bryan, his wife, Jill, and their four children have lived in Red Bank for the last ten years and chose to make Red Bank their home. He not only lives in Red Bank, but for two and a half decades, he practiced in Red Bank Municipal Court, gaining firsthand familiarity with its docket, its people, and the real-world issues that come through its courtroom every week. That experience is not theoretical — it is practical, lived, and consistent.

That is what led to his service as Judge today: a career built not around observing the justice system, but working inside it every day for more than two decades.

The Fraternal Order of Police’s endorsement reflects that trust — confidence from those who understand the demands of the courtroom and the importance of experienced, steady judgment on the bench.

Bryan Hoss with his wife Jill and their four children

Bryan Hoss.

Hooked from day one.

When Red Bank needed a judge, they asked Bryan.

Few attorneys can match his depth of trial experience.

Stand with Judge Hoss.