An attorney and a judge are vying to replace Hamilton County Circuit Court Judge Marie Williams ahead of her retirement in January.
Attorney Michele Coffman and Hamilton County General Sessions Judge Alex McVeagh are campaigning to secure the Republican nomination for Division III of Hamilton County’s Circuit Court.
Williams recently announced her plans to retire Jan. 3, 2024 after serving 28 years. Voters will decide on the Republican nomination for this judicial seat Tuesday, March 5, 2024. The general election is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024.
Coffman has practiced family law at her own firm, McColpin & Coffman, since 2001. McVeagh has served as a General Sessions Court judge since 2017, when former Gov. Bill Haslam appointed him to replace Judge David Bales.
Both Coffman and McVeagh commend Williams and are touting her impact in Hamilton County as they begin the work of securing her soon-to-be-vacated seat.
“For the past 28 years, Judge Williams has demonstrated exceptional commitment to justice and integrity,” says Coffman. “I’ve had the privilege of practicing in front of her throughout my entire legal career. Her distinguished reputation not only speaks to her unwavering dedication to the law but also to her outstanding mentorship, which has profoundly influenced my own legal journey.”
“Words cannot express the appreciation I have for Judge Marie Williams and her 28 years of service to this community,” McVeagh says. “It would be an honor to even attempt to fill her enormous shoes, as well as the shoes of her predecessor, the late Muecke ‘Mickey’ Barker, who presided over the Circuit Court’s third division before becoming the chief justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court.”
Coffman says her commitment to key priorities will define her tenure on the bench and promote the well-being of families and children within the community.
“I’ve built my career as an attorney on the principles of efficiency, transparency and respect. I plan to apply those same principles as I preside over cases as the Division III Circuit Court judge.”
Coffman adds that her commitment to “upholding the principles of fairness and justice in the courtroom” will ensure every individual receives a fair trial.
Coffman was born in Soddy Daisy and graduated from Soddy Daisy High School and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She earned her law degree at Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
Coffman, her husband Steve and son Carson live in Chattanooga.
McVeagh’s tenure in the legal profession began in 2013 when he graduated from Vanderbilt Law School and accepted work as a litigator at Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, where he primarily practiced civil law in state and federal courts throughout Tennessee and Georgia.
McVeagh’s record of service includes establishing the misdemeanor Drug Recovery Court, which he still leads, and sitting on the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission. Currently its vice chair, McVeagh is the first and only sitting judge to serve on the commission.
McVeagh also serves on the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Technology Oversight Committee, where he helped to draft standards for electronic filing in courts throughout the state, and where he reviews applications from jurisdictions seeking to implement electronic filing in their courts.
For close to a decade, McVeagh has helped to organize Hamilton County’s high school mock trial competition and continues to assist with numerous clinics, including expungement clinics and clinics that provide free estate planning documents to military veterans and first responders.
McVeagh has also served as assistant city attorney for the city of East Ridge, head research analyst and law clerk for the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee, and director of special projects for the Tennessee Republican Party.
Coffman and McVeagh launched their campaigns after the Secretary of State’s Office and the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance confirmed that the election to fill Hamilton County’s Circuit Court Division III seat will occur next year. This allowed the candidates to begin to campaign for Williams’ seat under Cannon 4 of Tennessee’s Code of Judicial Conduct.
Sources: Michele Coffman; Judge Alex McVeagh