When Gary Starnes first took the bench in August 2012, he brought with him nearly three decades of legal experience, a tireless work ethic and a promise to treat every person who entered his courtroom with dignity and respect.
Fourteen years later, those qualities have become the hallmarks of his judicial career – and they were the very traits colleagues celebrated Monday as dozens of attorneys and judges gathered outside the Hamilton County Courthouse to send him a message of encouragement as he faces the battle of his life: cancer.
The courthouse steps became an impromptu show of solidarity as members of the Chattanooga Bar Association assembled for a group photograph that was then presented to Starnes.
Between smiles for the camera came heartfelt recollections from lawyers, fellow judges and longtime friends who described a jurist known as much for his compassion as his command of the law.
For many, the gathering was less about a judge than about a friend.
“Everything is off when you’re missing one part of a whole,” said Judge Larry Ables, who’s served alongside Starnes on the General Sessions Court bench for the past four years. “We’ve missed his presence and his personality.”
A campaign built on shoe leather
Long before he became one of Hamilton County’s most recognizable judges, Starnes earned a reputation as one of its hardest-working campaigners.
His path to the bench actually began with a late-night conversation at an IHOP in 1986. While studying for the bar exam at 3 a.m. alongside future Congressman Chuck Fleischmann and attorney Jeff Haygood, the three young lawyers began talking about where life might take them after decades of practicing law.
Fleischmann declared he’d become a politician. Haygood and Starnes said they hoped to become General Sessions judges.
Nearly three decades later, all three predictions came true.
Starnes won a crowded special election in 2012 after an exhaustive grassroots campaign that saw him shake approximately 15,000 hands, attend more than 600 public events and introduce himself to voters in every corner of Hamilton County.
He often recalled stopping to speak with residents wherever he found them – even approaching a man mowing a neighbor’s lawn in triple-digit heat because every conversation mattered.
“I wanted everyone to know I’d work hard to get the position and then work hard once they elected me,” he told the Hamilton County Herald following his victory.
A lawyer before becoming a judge
Born in Detroit before moving to Tennessee when his father became a state trooper, Starnes graduated from Lookout Valley High School in 1977, where his basketball scoring records still stood at the time of his election.
He earned a degree in education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga before deciding against a coaching career and enrolling at the University of Tennessee College of Law.
After graduating in 1986, he practiced briefly in Knoxville before returning to Chattanooga to join Spears, Moore, Rebman & Williams. In 1993, he opened his own practice, developing a broad litigation career centered on personal injury, wrongful death, workers’ compensation and civil litigation.
He estimated trying roughly 120 jury trials and hundreds of bench trials while also becoming a certified mediator and arbitrator licensed in both Tennessee and Georgia.
Outside the courtroom, Starnes devoted substantial time to organizations including the American Red Cross, Children’s Advocacy Center, Shepherd’s Arms Rescue Ministry and Chambliss Center for Children.
He also regularly visited schools to warn young people about gangs and crime, believing judges carried a unique ability to influence children before they made life-altering choices.
A judge who became a mentor
Those who gathered Monday spoke less about Starnes’ résumé than about his character.
Barry Abbott, who helped manage Starnes’ first judicial campaign after first getting to know him over countless conversations at Starbucks, said his motivation for seeking the bench was always genuine.
“He wanted to become a judge for all the right reasons,” Abbott said. “He wanted to make a difference.”
Judge Alex McVeagh called Starnes one of his greatest mentors during his nine years on the bench.
“But more than a mentor on the bench,” McVeagh said, “he’s a friend.”
Attorney Tracy Cox described him as “an extraordinary leader” with “an even and fair” judicial temperament, adding that he’s always been deeply committed to protecting victims and serving the community.
Retired Judge Russell Bean recalled giving Starnes opportunities to sit in his courtroom early in his judicial career before joking, “Gary, you’re a better judge than I am now.”
Judge Clarence Shattuck praised Starnes’ leadership beyond Hamilton County, noting his service as president of the Tennessee General Sessions Judges Conference and calling his tenure among the finest he witnessed.
Fair, approachable and respected
Several attorneys emphasized that Starnes earned respect regardless of which side prevailed.
Attorney Warren Griffin perhaps summarized that reputation best.
“He’s probably ruled against us as much as he’s ruled for us,” Griffin said. “But I understand why every single time, and my client does as well.”
Nathan Bosshardt, whose first appearance before Starnes came in 2015, remembered the judge’s kindness toward young lawyers just beginning their careers.
Curtis Bowe, now a judge himself, recalled that long before Starnes joined the bench, he encouraged younger attorneys with simple advice: “Keep fighting, keep digging and keep grinding.”
Bowe said that same encouragement now comes full circle.
“I hope that during his struggle right now, we can be as encouraging to him.”
A message beyond the photograph
The courthouse gathering produced a photograph, but those assembled hoped it would convey something far greater than an image.
It represented gratitude from colleagues who have practiced before him, worked alongside him and learned from him over the past 14 years.
Judge Ables perhaps spoke for everyone gathered when he explained why so many took time from their day to stand together.
“We’re all here in honor of Judge Starnes and the battle he’s going through,” he said. “We’re praying for him, and we want to show some solidarity and send our good wishes to him.”
For a judge who built his career on showing up – for voters, litigants, young lawyers and the community – Hamilton County’s legal community made sure he knows they’re showing up for him now.