A finance team has been formed to aid in the re-election campaign of Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Alex McVeagh, who was appointed to the bench in 2017 by former Governor Bill Haslam.
Judge McVeagh will run in the non-partisan election to be held on Aug. 4.
To help support his election effort, supporters of Judge McVeagh have come together to create the Friends of Judge finance team, which is comprised of business leaders, accountants, attorneys, contractors and realtors. The finance team is chaired by former managing shareholder and current Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel attorney Mike St. Charles as well as Miller & Martin attorney Marcy Eason. The Friends of Judge Alex treasurer is former Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Mickey Barker.
“I continue to be humbled by the amount of support I have received from my colleagues in the legal community, business and civic leaders, and citizens across Hamilton County,” stated Judge McVeagh. “I am committed to serving the citizens of this great county and carrying out my
role as judge with fairness, compassion, accountability, and integrity. This commitment is why I work hard every day in my courtroom to ensure our Constitution is protected and the rule of law is applied to the facts in every case.”
The five divisions of the Hamilton County General Sessions Court preside over more than
60,000 criminal and civil cases every year.
Judge McVeagh was initially appointed to preside over Division II of General Sessions Court to succeed Judge David Bales, who went on medical leave to receive treatment for cancer. Prior to the appointment, Judge McVeagh practiced criminal and civil litigation in state and federal courts in Tennessee and Georgia as an attorney at Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Vanderbilt University and his Juris Doctor degree from Vanderbilt Law School.
“Judge McVeagh was an outstanding lawyer at Chambliss and is a dedicated and compassionate public servant to the citizens of Hamilton County and Tennessee,” stated Mark Cunningham, healthcare attorney and current managing shareholder of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel. “His legal mind and talents were self-evident during his time at Chambliss, and I am proud to have him as a member of our judiciary.”
Ms. Eason said, “The community’s support of Judge Alex is evidenced by the Friends of Judge Alex finance team raising over $70,000 at the close of the last reporting period. Now that he has an announced opponent, I know that Judge Alex’s supporters and finance team will work even harder in support of his campaign.”
His campaign said, “Almost immediately after his appointment to the bench, Judge Alex McVeagh collaborated with Criminal Court Judge and felony Drug Recovery Court Judge Tom Greenholtz to expand Hamilton County’s Drug Recovery Court to misdemeanor General Sessions Court. After applying for and receiving a $500,000 grant from the Department of Justice under President
Donald Trump, Judge Alex McVeagh led the effort to create the General Sessions Drug Recovery
Court with the first applicants accepted in 2018.
“Since then, the General Sessions Drug Recovery Court has saved Hamilton County taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in incarceration and criminal recidivism costs – all while helping to reunite families, helping substance users become sober and productive members of society, and helping make our community safer.”
Justice Barker said, “In addition to his legal abilities, Judge Alex is a perpetual public servant, having served on the boards and volunteered for great organizations like the YMCA’s Youth Community Action Program (Y-CAP) and Legal Aid of East Tennessee. He continues to serve others and our profession on the young lawyer boards of the Chattanooga, Tennessee and American Bar Associations, and was twice appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court to serve as a Tennessee Access to Justice Commissioner. In sum, Judge Alex is the real deal, and I look forward to continuing to help him retain his seat as judge of Division II of Hamilton County
General Sessions Court.”