General Sessions Court, Division II, Judge David E. Bales, who was appointed by the County Commission on Oct. 24, 2005, then elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2012, announced on Friday that he will immediately be taking a medical leave of absence.
Judge Bales said in a statement, "As many know, I have been recently treated for cancer and I appreciate the tremendous community-wide support that you have given me. However, in an effort to fulfill my public responsibility I returned to the bench prematurely. I now know that I need more time to recover.
"Therefore, I have decided to take additional time off to rest and recuperate so I can plan to return to the bench with full vigor and strength to serve the citizens of Hamilton County."
Judge Clarence Shattuck said, "On behalf of all the General Sessions Court judges and the legal community, we deeply respect Judge Bales' decision to take additional time to recover. We wish him a quick recovery and look forward to him returning to the bench as soon as possible."
Judge Gary Starnes said, "Myself and my colleagues, along with other attorneys and municipal judges, will cover Judge Bales' cases until Governor Haslam appoints a temporary replacement.
"Basically, the process is as follows. The judicial nominating committee will interview prospective candidates and submit three names to Governor Haslam. The governor then appoints one of the candidates from the list provided by the judicial nominating committee.
"The appointment process will probably take a few months."