Judge Alex McVeagh
Judge Alex McVeagh, who currently serves as judge of Hamilton County General Sessions Court, Division II, on Tuesday launched his campaign for the General Election on August 4, 2022.
Governor Bill Haslam in 2017 first appointed him to the seat as one of the youngest judges in Tennessee history at the age of 31.
Still one of the youngest judges presiding in America, Alex has "also earned the trust of the Tennessee Supreme Court, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, and the lawyers and litigants of Hamilton County through his work in and outside the courtroom." his campaign said.
Since taking the bench, Judge McVeagh was tapped to serve on the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission and on Governor Bill Lee’s Criminal Justice Reform Task Force to study solutions to reduce non-violent jail populations and criminal recidivism.
Judge McVeagh said, “Every Hamilton County citizen is entitled to their day in court and will find respect, fairness, and the law equally applied in General Sessions Court. There is no room for activism from the bench. Instead, I pledge to apply the law as enacted by the legislature and precedent.”
Each year, Hamilton County General Sessions Court hears approximately 42,000 criminal cases and 14,000 civil cases. In addition to these regular dockets, Judge McVeagh founded and presides over Hamilton County’s first misdemeanor Drug Recovery Court. This court employs a state-mandated selection process to assist individuals suffering with addiction issues with treatment, strict supervision, drug testing, community service, continued education and employment requirements. Recovery Court graduates have the tools necessary to combat their substance use disorder while becoming productive members of their families and communities, it was stated.
“Working with community partners and our court team, we have helped graduates maintain sobriety, obtain higher education degrees, start their own businesses and even purchase their first homes,” said Judge McVeagh, who has been honored by the Chattanooga Bar Association, Tennessee Bar Association and American Bar Association for his pro bono work and service to the community. “Fighting crime while also helping to instill hope in these men and women keeps Hamilton County citizens safe and lowers criminal recidivism. It’s good stewardship of our taxpayer dollars and good citizenship.”
Judge McVeagh currently serves as president of the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) of the Chattanooga Bar Association, as well as East Tennessee Governor of the Tennessee Bar Association’s YLD Board. He was also recently elected to another term as Tennessee’s young lawyer delegate to the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates and is a member of the Brock-Cooper Chapter of the American Inns of Court. He is an active member of the Downtown Chattanooga Rotary Club.
After growing up in Lafayette, Louisiana, he obtained his Bachelor of Science Degree from Vanderbilt University and obtained his law degree from Vanderbilt Law School. He has previously worked as the lead research analyst and law clerk for the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee and analyst and legislative liaison for the Tennessee District Public Defenders Conference.
He came to Chattanooga to work as a civil and criminal litigator at Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel Law Firm, where he practiced in state and federal courts throughout Tennessee and Georgia.
His campaign said, "Alex is well-trained by his Great Pyrenees pup, Birdie, to enjoy the great outdoors of his adopted hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee."