On December 16th, Mayor Ron Littefield's lawyer Hal North filed his second injunction in Circuit Court to stop the recall election set for August. To read the injunction, click HERE.
We should know by Thursday which judge will be presiding over the case. There were very serious concerns about the previous case, heard by Judge Jeff Hollingsworth.
Judge Jeff Hollingsworth, whose judgement over the previous case was found to be without jurisdiction and thus void, has very deep and concerning connections to the law firm hired by Littlefield, which I had documented in a previous Facebook note.
Here is my Facebook note reprinted for consideration:
I am going to wade into dangerous waters and lay out some facts and connect some dots about the decision that was made by the Tennessee Court of Appeals concerning the Recall of Mayor Ron Littlefied.
But first, a little background: Recallers turned in enough verified signatures within the time period allotted to Recall Mayor Ron Littlefield, following the terms and conditions of the Recall as interpreted for them by the Hamilton County Election Commission, the County Institution authorized by law to make such determinations.
After a sufficient number of signatures had been verified but prior to the Hamilton County Election Commission (HCEC) certifying the signatures and calling for the Recall Election, Mayor Ron Littlfield filed suit and gained an injunction against the HCEC - gaining a hearing in Judge Jeff Hollingsworth's court. Judge Jeff Hollingswoth went on to throw out the Recall Election, the section of the City Charter related to Recall, and the petitions verified by the HCEC.The Tennessee Court of Appeals has ruled that Mayor Ron Littlefield had no standing to file suit and that Judge Jeff Hollingsworth had no jurisdiction (and that all of his rulings are void, becuase "a judgement without jurisdiction is void").
Read the Court of Appeals Judgment HERE.
It seems rather obvious that Littlefield had no standing and that the Judge had no jurisdiction PRIOR TO THE H.C.E.C. ACTUALLY CERTIFYING THE SIGNATURES AND CALLING FOR THE ELECTION. What can account for this judicial mistake that bought Mayor Littlefield some much needed time? Well, here are some thoughts that might lead one down a certain rabbit hole... (remember, in 2010 Tennessee was voted the most corrupt state in the country)
FACTS:
- Mayor Ron Littlfield hired Hal North, Rick Hitchcock and Tom Greenholtz to represent him in court, these three lawyers work for Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel - a major law firm and power player in Chattanooga.
- Judge Jeff Holllingsworth worked for Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel for 17 years.
- Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel attorneys contributed more to Hollingsworth’s 2006 campaign than any other firm, according to information from the Hamilton County Election Commission:4.6.2006: 4.25.2006: 7.10.2006: 7.27.2006:
- Stephen Jett was Judge Jeff Hollingsworth's campaign treasurer - and is a partner at Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel.
- Out of 135 contributions Hollingsworth received in 2006, more than 40 came from Chambliss employees, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
I believe that these facts warrant concern, even more so after the Tennessee Appeals Court decision.