Judge Bob Moon looks at a law book during a preliminary hearing. Moon died at his Signal Mountain home Thursday.IN HIS OWN WORDS”The General Sessions Court is one of the most important courts in our legal system. The court disposes of both civil and criminal cases and personally touches the lives of more citizens in a single day than any other court. It is truly the people’s court and formulates the opinions of more people about our judicial system than any other court.” – Judge Bob Moon, during his re-election bid in 1998
An air of stunned disbelief hovered in the Hamilton County Courthouse as news of the unexpected death of General Sessions Judge Bob Moon filtered through the halls Thursday.
“You expect to see him like you would the walls of this building. The idea of Judge Moon being gone today is like having the courthouse crumble,” said Lee Davis, a former prosecutor now a private defense attorney who tried many cases – from both sides of the aisle – before Moon.
Courthouse staff placed Moon’s nameplate on the door and bench of his Division V courtroom, which sat empty Thursday. Sessions Court will be closed today in his honor, said fellow Sessions Judge Clarence Shattuck.
“He was a talented and articulate man,” Shattuck said. “He had a deep concern for young people and gave counsel to numerous schools and various groups and even from the bench, when appropriate.”