The General Sessions Judges Conference presented Hamilton County General Sessions Judge Gary Starnes with the 2021 Leon Ruben Memorial Award for Excellence at its spring 2022 convention.
The conference presents the award annually to a judge or judges who distinguish themselves through outstanding service to the community, the conference and the judiciary as a whole.
“I’m blessed and honored to receive this distinguished award from my colleagues and our judicial conference,” Starnes says. “I’m also humbled and appreciative.”
Starnes was elected to the Hamilton County General Sessions Court in 2012.
He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and his juris doctorate from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
Starnes is a Rule 31 listed general civil mediator and an arbitrator in Tennessee.
He previously served as president of the General Sessions Judges Conference and is currently leading the efforts to establish a Veterans Court in the Hamilton County General Sessions Court.
“Judge Starnes has extended his efforts to assist the conference in many ways during the time of his membership,” says Hamilton County General Sessions Judge Lila Statom, president of the General Sessions Conference.
The Leon Ruben Memorial Award is named for Judge Ruben, who sat as a judge for 37 years in Nashville. He also served as a Metro Council member and was known for his contributions to the community.
Source: Tennessee State Courts