Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam on Wednesday appointed Alexander K. McVeagh as special judge for Division II of the Hamilton County General Sessions Court.
Mr. McVeagh’s appointment fills the temporary vacancy created last month when Governor Haslam accepted Judge David E. Bales’ request to take a leave of absence due to a disability.
Court personnel said the new judge will be sitting in with other judges for a couple of weeks to familiarize himself with the process before taking the bench on his own.
Mr.
McVeagh, 31, has been a litigation attorney at Chambliss Law Firm since 2013 and has practiced both civil and criminal law in Hamilton County General Sessions Court, as well as state and federal courts in both Tennessee and Georgia and the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
He previously served as head research analyst and law clerk with the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee and as a research analyst and legislative liaison with the Tennessee District Public Defenders Conference.
“I am pleased to appoint Alex McVeagh and appreciate his willingness to serve as special judge. His experience in both private practice and state government will serve Hamilton County well,” Governor Haslam said.
“I wish Judge Bales a smooth and speedy recovery. I pledge to honor the bench with integrity and continue to serve the law faithfully in this appointment. I am immensely grateful and deeply humbled by the governor’s trust to serve Hamilton County and honored to serve,” Mr. McVeagh said.
Mr. McVeagh earned his law degree from Vanderbilt Law School and a bachelor of science in economics and political science from Vanderbilt University.
He is involved in numerous community and professional organizations, including service on the boards of Legal Aid of East Tennessee, Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyer Division, YMCA’s Youth Community Action Program (YCAP), Federal Bar Association's Chattanooga Chapter, and last January was awarded YLD Volunteer of the Year by the Chattanooga Bar Association.
Since Judge Bales left, Judge Lila Statom has moved from a small "cracker box" office at the end of the hall to the larger Bales quarters.
Judge McVeagh has inherited the "cracker box" office.
Court personnel said Judge McVeagh has not yet been able to use the parking spot at the Courts Building utilized by Judge Bales since the Bales SUV is still parked in the spot.