Tennessee’s Judicial Nominating Commission is accepting applications for the vacancy that will be left at the end of March when longtime Chancellor Howell Peoples steps down from the bench on the Hamilton County Chancery Court.
Chancellor Peoples announced his resignation in early January, although his term does not expire until 2014. He has served 32 years on the Chancery Court, presiding over most cases in the county involving wills and estates and other cases where money is a driving factor.
Although the position on the court is one in which the candidate must be voted in, the Judicial Nominating Commission will nominate a candidate and the governor ultimately will appoint a replacement by the end of March because Chancellor Peoples’ term has not yet expired. Whoever is appointed must run in a special election this summer to finish out Chancellor Peoples’ term.
Interested applicants must be at least 30 years old, an attorney, a resident of Tennessee for at least five years and a resident of the Hamilton County judicial district for at least one year. Applications are due Feb. 16.
The commission will hold a public meeting in Chattanooga at 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 23 at which members of the public can question the candidates. The candidates then will be interviewed by the commission, and three names will be submitted to the governor for nomination to the bench.
Chattanooga attorney Bill Young is the new chairman of the Judicial Nominating Commission after the resignation of David Bautista. Mr. Young is senior vice president of risk management at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.