Federal Criminal Defense & Civil Rights

Current Position

Law Office of Jerry Gonzalez, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Attorney 2004 to present. Concentrating in plaintiffs’ civil rights, employment discrimination, and federal criminal defense (Criminal Justice Act Panel Attorney since 2005). Extensive courtroom experience. Entered as Counsel of Record in over 240 federal cases.

Sociological Spectrum

Associate and Managing Editor (2012 to 2015), Editor (2016-2022), Co-Editor-in-Chief (2023 to present) of peer-reviewed, scientific journal publishing papers on theoretical, methodological, quantitative and qualitative research, and applied research in areas of sociology, social psychology, anthropology, criminology and political science. Managed peer review of submitted manuscripts and guided process of transition from paper-based referee tracking to interim electronic format and cloud based manuscript tracking system to ScholarOne system. Conducted preliminary screening of hundreds of submitted research manuscripts and contributed to editorial decision by Editor-in-Chief. Promoted to full editor by Board of Directors in 2017 and Co-Editor-in-Chief (Dr. Kevin Breault) in 2023. Acted as reviewer on selected manuscripts dealing with legal, criminological, and statistical research topics.

Past Positions

Griffith and Gonzalez, P.C., Nashville, Tennessee

Shareholder and founding attorney 1998-2004.

Concentrated on civil rights, medical malpractice, probate, real estate, and personal injury. Managed a five-person legal office.

Stallings, Hamilton and Fox P.C., Lebanon, Tennessee

Associate attorney 1997.

General civil practice.

United States Secret Service

Special Agent, 1991-1993, Miami Field Office

Top Secret security clearance. Protected two U.S. Presidents, Vice-Presidents, presidential candidates, First Ladies, and foreign heads of state. Conducted investigations of credit card fraud, forgery of U.S. Treasury instruments, counterfeiting and threats against individuals under Secret Service protection. Completed 10 week Federal Law Enforcement Training Center's (FLETC) Basic Criminal Investigator Training program in Glynco, Georgia, and 17-week U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Basic Training program at the James J. Rowley Training Center, Washington, D.C.

United States Navy

Naval Flight Officer, Active Duty 1984-1991

Top Secret/Restricted Data (RD) security clearance. Mission Commander on S-3B Viking carrier-based anti-submarine jet aircraft. Twice awarded Navy Achievement Medal for outstanding service during two separate South American operations. Tours in Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic, South Atlantic and South Pacific oceans. Stationed in Pensacola NAS, Pensacola, FL; North Island NAS, San Diego, CA; Cecil Field NAS, Jacksonville, FL, and Naval Recruiting Station, Detroit, MI. Deployments aboard aircraft carriers USS Saratoga (CV-56), USS America (CV-66), USS Independence (CV-62), USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67).

Intelligence Analyst - Naval Reserves 1993-1995

Top Secret/Special Compartmented Information (SCI) security clearance. Conducted highly classified intelligence analysis.

Naval Air Facility, Selfridge ANGB, Detroit, MI

Lieutenant Commander (O-4) highest rank held. Honorable Discharge.

Education

Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Master of Arts in Sociology. Awarded December 2013.

Thesis - “Behind the Curtain: A Quantitative Examination of Factors Considered by Judicial Commissioners in Rutherford County, Tennessee in Determining the Presence of Risk of Flight and Amount of Bail.” A statistical analysis involving parametric and nonparametric testing of original data on bail determinations using SPSS statistical software.

Graduate course work towards Master of Arts in Applied Economics, 2010.

Courses included Monetary Policy and Econometrics (using R).

Graduate course work towards Master of Business Administration, 1997.

Courses included Micro-economics.

Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan

Doctor of Jurisprudence. Awarded May 1996.

Elective courses included Taxation, International Business Transactions, Corporate Finance, Business Planning, and Real Estate Financing.

Graduate course work towards Master of Business Administration, 1990-1991.

Courses included Financial and Managerial Accounting, Quantitative Analysis (statistics), and Marketing.

Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan

B.S. Biological Science. Awarded November 1984.

Teaching Experience

Volunteer State Community College, Gallatin, Tennessee

Criminal Law, Winter 1997.

Tennessee Career College, Nashville, Tennessee

Constitutional Law, Fall 2004.

Introduction to Paralegal Studies, Winter 2004.

Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Data Analysis SOC 3050, Dr. Brian Hinote, Spring and Fall 2012.

Graded statistics homework assignments and weekly quizzes and tutored students as needed. Taught class and SPSS Lab as needed.

Statistics and SPSS tutor in Pilot Project directed by MTSU Walker Library, Spring 2013.

Admitted to Practice Law

United States Supreme Court 2008

United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit 2001

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 2016

Tennessee Supreme Court and all lower state courts 1997

Kentucky Supreme Court and all lower state courts 2016

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee 2009

United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee 1997

United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee 2008

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky 2017

United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky 2019

United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi 2016 (pro hac vice)

United States District Court for the District of Columbia 2024