Rutherford County dedicated its Recovery Court facility on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, honoring Judge Don R. Ash and Ms. Mary C. Schneider for their longstanding leadership and service. Dozens of community members, local officials, legal professionals, and graduates of the Recovery Court program attended the ceremony.
“Recovery and learning about recovery—the concept and steps of recovery—and getting my connection with God, my heart and mind lined up with Him… all of those things together changed my life,” said Rhonda Rush, a graduate of the recovery court. “It refocused me, regrouped me, and redirected me to where my life has never been the same.”
Founded in 1998, the Murfreesboro Recovery Court was the first non-residential drug court in Tennessee. Mary Schneider served as its director until her retirement in 2014; she passed away in 2016.
“Recovery is a journey of accountability, treatment, perseverance, faith, and the support of others. I had to learn that. Mary understood it long before I did,” Judge Ash reflected. “Recovery Court taught me that our responsibility as judges is not only to punish criminal behavior, but—whenever possible—to address the disease that often drives that behavior. If we do that, we can restore lives, reunite families, make our communities safer, and sometimes give a child his mother or father back.”
For more information about recovery courts in Tennessee, visit the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services here: Recovery Courts in Tennessee
