Judge Hamilton Gayden is the Judge of the First Circuit court. He has been a judge since 1974. He was first appointed to the General Sessions bench and has been reelected five times. Judge Gayden attended high school in New York and Tennessee. He graduated from Vanderbilt where he played basketball. He also graduated from Vanderbilt Law School. He is a member of the Nashville Bar Association. He was the Presiding Judge for the Davidson County Trial Courts in 1996-97.

Judge Gayden is a veteran of the U.S.Army and a member of the American Legion. He is a published author of the book To Circle the Cross. He is a member of the Vanderbilt Rebounders Club (former basketball players).

Judge Gayden is a member of the Board of the Sister Cities of Nashville. He is also a Mason and a Shriner. He married to Paulette Gayden and has three children. He is a member of Covenant Presbyterian Church and the Downtown Rotary Club.