Former Murfreesboro Judge Steve Daniel is leaving his job as chief disciplinary counsel for Tennessee's Court of the Judiciary, court officials announced today.

Daniel is slated to step down when his contract ends on June 30 of this year. But Administrative Office of the Courts spokeswoman Laura Click said he will stay on longer if necessary to handle pending cases.

The announcement comes after several weeks of contentious dealings in the misconduct case Daniel is pursuing against Davidson County General Sessions Judge Gloria Dumas. She faces charges of being persistently late in attending court and improperly employing her daughter as a court officer.

Daniel last month accused Dumas of failing to cooperate with discovery requests. She replied by contending Daniel had procured and served subpoenas for evidence in the case without giving notice to the defense, violating the state's rules of legal procedure.

Daniel then claimed that the presiding judge of General Sessions, Dan Eisenstein, had told court employees "not to provide any answers" to questions about Dumas. Nashville attorney David Raybin, representing Eisenstein, erupted when asked about this assertion, saying: "It's a damn lie! You can print that."

The trial of Dumas has recently been reset from April 5 to July 28. The parties are reportedly engaged in settlement talks. Click said that if the case goes to trial, Daniel will extend his tenure for the duration of the proceedings.

Daniel took up his position at the TCJ in July 2007. He was a Circuit Court judge in Rutherford County from 1980 to 2004.

In today's announcement, Don Ash, presiding judge of the TCJ, commend Daniel's "steadfast commitment to judicial excellence" and wished him "great success as he pursues other interests."