Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today appointed James L. Gass of Dandridge as Circuit Court Judge in the 4th Judicial District, filling a temporary appointment that had been made last October.
On October 18, Haslam appointed Gass as special judge to fill a temporary vacancy due to the illness of Judge Richard R. Vance. Judge Vance died on December 3, 2017, creating the need for Haslam to make an appointment to serve until the next general election.
The 4th Judicial District serves Jefferson, Grainger, Cocke and Sevier counties.
“I appreciated Jim Gass’s willingness to serve on a temporary basis. I am confident he will use his years of experience and involvement with the community to continue to well serve the 4th Judicial District,” Haslam said.
“I am very grateful to the governor for the opportunity to continue my service to the citizens of the 4th Judicial District,” Gass said. “I will work each day to impartially and fairly carry out the duties expected of our courts.”
Prior to his appointment to the bench, Gass, 58, was a 34-year career trial attorney with extensive experience in civil trials and serving in both prosecution and defense roles in criminal cases. He was a partner with Ogle, Gass & Richardson in Sevierville since 1998 and represented the City of Pigeon Forge in legal matters during that time. Gass had also served as town attorney for Dandridge since 2007, attorney for the Town of Pittman Center from 1998-2016, assistant district attorney for the 4th Judicial District from 1988-1998, a private practice attorney in Dandridge from 1986-1988 and an associate attorney in the Law Office of Ricky Wood in Parsons from 1983-1986.
Gass received a law degree from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in 1983. He also received a bachelor’s degree from Samford in 1980. He is a member and past president of the Pigeon Forge Rotary Club. He and his wife, Lauren, are members of the First United Methodist Church in Dandridge. They have two adult sons, Anderson and Link.
