Chancellor Peoples' 32 fine years

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Hamilton County has been blessed for many years by having many really outstanding judges serving with distinction on many of our varied local courts. Chancellor Howell Peoples long has been one of them.

Now Chancellor Peoples has announced his desire to retire from his Chancery Court, Division 2, position on March 31, although his elected term of office does not expire until 2014.

Chancellor Peoples was appointed to his court position in 1978 by Gov. Ray Blanton, when another outstanding Hamilton County judge, Chancellor Herschel Franks, was elevated to the Tennessee Court of Appeals.

Chancellor Peoples previously had served well as clerk and master in connection with the local Chancery Court from 1975.

Chancery Court is different from other courts, in that it sometimes is described as parallel to the "Court of King Solomon" of Bible fame. Chancery Court is a "court of equity," often dealing with issues that, in addition to statutory law, involve complex questions involving quests for justice concerning estates, divorces and other knotty legal matters.

Chancellor Peoples has earned a reputation for being an able, conscientious and learned judge and good citizen throughout his record of judicial service for 32 years.