General Sessions Court Judge David W. Norton announced today that, despite a health issue that has kept him away from several recent candidate events, he remains committed to his campaign to win his Hamilton County General Sessions Court seat by popular vote.
He was appointed by the Hamilton County Commission following the sudden death of Judge Bob Moon earlier this year. The appointment extends until the Hamilton County General Election scheduled for Aug.
2.
“I am honored to be serving as General Sessions Judge through the August election and it’s my dream to continue to do the work I have come to love,” said Judge Norton. “Unfortunately, at a critical point during the campaign period, I have experienced the effects of an inherited, non life-threatening health condition that I have to deal with. This has kept me from campaigning as vigorously as I would like to.”
“I regret not being able to meet and talk with all the citizens of Hamilton County, and I ask voters to bear with me while I deal fully with this issue. I ask for your vote during early voting from July 13 through 28 and on our Aug. 2nd Election Day, so that I can continue to serve. I will keep the public advised of the progress of my recovery, and I trust that I will be back at work very soon. ”
His campaign pointed out that "Before Judge Norton’s Sessions Court appointment, he spent 28 years as assistant Hamilton County Attorney and 27 years as the elected city judge in Soddy Daisy. He also served for more than a quarter of a century as commissioner for the Hixson Utility District, and was appointed by the last four Tennessee governors to the State Utility Management Review Board. As required by law, Judge Norton resigned all these positions in March of 2012 in order to accept the appointment to Hamilton County Sessions Court.
"In May, the Chattanooga Bar Association conducted a preference poll in which its members gave Judge Norton an overwhelming majority -- 52.8 percent -- of votes cast for the seven candidates who are running for the Sessions Court judgeship. Norton received 133 votes from the legal professionals who participated in the poll; his closest competitor received 62."