On Tuesday, October 29, 2024, Elizabethton Star reported that the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Board of Professional Responsibility has temporarily suspended the law license of Elizabethton City Judge Jason Lee Holly. This suspension comes just days before the upcoming election on November 5, where Holly is seeking re-election.
The board’s decision to suspend Holly’s law license stems from his failure to respond to three complaints of misconduct. However, Sandy Garrett, the board’s chief disciplinary counsel, clarified that the suspension is not a result of any alleged misconduct itself. “Mr. Holly was not suspended for any misconduct as alleged in a complaint, but simply because he failed to respond to the board,” she stated in a phone call.
Under the terms of the temporary suspension, Holly is allowed to continue representing his current clients for a period of 30 days, but he is prohibited from accepting new clients. The suspension will remain in effect until the Supreme Court either dissolves or modifies it. Holly has the option to petition the Supreme Court for the suspension’s dissolution or modification.
Garrett mentioned that if Holly responds to the complaints, it would likely not be difficult for him to have the suspension lifted. The current order mandates that Holly must cease representing any existing clients by November 27. After this date, he is prohibited from presenting himself as a lawyer or maintaining any presence where legal services are provided. He is also required to inform all clients and opposing counsel about the Supreme Court’s order and to transfer any relevant documents or property back to his clients.
The implications of Holly’s suspension on his re-election campaign remain somewhat unclear. Tracy Tanner-Harris, the Administrator of Elections for Carter County, confirmed that the ballot has already been finalized and will not be altered, despite Holly’s legal troubles. Attempts to contact City Attorney Roger Day for his insights on how this suspension might affect the Elizabethton Municipal Court were unsuccessful.
Holly is competing against Teresa Murray Smith in the upcoming election. Smith briefly held the position of city judge for three months in 2020 and was the first female to serve in that role. Holly was appointed as the interim city judge in February 2020 following the death of longtime judge T.J. Little Jr. He later faced Smith in the November 2020 election, where he emerged victorious.
This is not the first instance this year that Holly has faced scrutiny from the Supreme Court. On July 10, he received a notification from AOC General Counsel John Coke regarding his noncompliance with state law mandates for municipal judges. Tennessee law requires judges to attend three hours of continuing legal education (CLE) annually. The notification indicated that previous reminders had been sent to Holly concerning his failure to comply with this requirement.
The law states that if a municipal judge does not meet the CLE requirements by a designated deadline, any judgments made by that judge may be rendered null and void until compliance is achieved. In a follow-up email to City Council members, City Manager Daniel Estes advised that no cases should be heard by the court until Holly’s compliance issues were resolved.
After inquiries from the media, Holly claimed that he had completed the necessary CLE courses, and the AOC later confirmed that he had indeed fulfilled two of the required courses.
Holly has been licensed to practice law in Tennessee since 2005. He graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1996 and obtained his law degree from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in 2000.
Source: Elizabethton Star
