Hamilton County commissioners will begin accepting applications Friday for Clarence Shattuck's judgeship in General Sessions Court in the hopes of picking a replacement by the end of the month.
Until March 15 at noon, area attorneys can submit letters of interest to the County Commission Office, which is room 401 in the Hamilton County Courthouse along Georgia Avenue. Members of the public can also submit names to the commission.
Sessions Court Judge Judge Clarence Shattuck, photographed on the bench Thursday, July 7, 2016.From there, the Hamilton County Commission will interview all applicants on March 20 at 1 p.m. If they successfully vote on someone by March 27, they plan to swear in the replacement by April 1, when Shattuck officially steps off the bench, commissioner Sabrena Smedley said during a meeting Tuesday. That replacement will then serve until the August 2020 county general election. If they win that election, Shattuck's replacement will remain on the bench until the general election in 2022, when Shattuck's term officially expires.
Shattuck, 83, announced his retirement to the commission late last month after roughly 36 years on the bench. He was appointed in 1982, also by the commission, after General Sessions Court Judge Raulston Schoolfield died, and has remained on the bench through five elections. Because General Sessions Court is considered a county judgeship, the commission will also select Shattuck's replacement. Had Shattuck cited a medical disability instead, like one of his previous colleagues, David Bales, did in 2017, state law says the governor must select a replacement.
Many in the legal community told the Times Free Press they would remember Shattuck's fairness, his willingness to make unpopular decisions such as reducing a bond or dismissing a case and his constant efforts to recruit people to play in his seniors basketball league.
The Times Free Press previously reported that three local attorneys are interested in replacing Shattuck: Private defense attorney and former prosecutor Gerald Webb, East Ridge Judge Cris Helton and Collegedale Judge Kevin Wilson. Other names may emerge as candidates submit their letters of interest to the commission.
Contact staff writer Zack Peterson at zpeterson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6347. Follow him on Twitter @zackpeterson918.