The names of more than 200 Tennessee appellate court judges who have served since 1796 when the state was founded are etched on imported black marble plaques to be unveiled at a 2 p.m. public ceremony, Wednesday, Nov. 17, at the Historic U.S. Post Office and Courthouse Building on Main Street in Knoxville .
The Tennessee Supreme Court Historical Society and other donors provided funds for the plaques, which were designed by state architect Mike Fitts and etched in Tennessee . The plaques will hang in the appellate court room on the second floor.
The Historical Society, a non-profit organization created in 1995 by volunteers wanting to preserve the court’s history, also produced a book, “A History of the Tennessee Supreme Court.” Copies provided by the Frist Foundation are being donated to every high school library in the state.
“Until the Historical Society was formed, there were very limited and scattered sources of information about the history of the Supreme Court and the other appellate courts in Tennessee,” said Executive Director Gil Campbell. “The legal system has played – and continues to play – a vital role in the state. It is important to gather and preserve its history.”
The plaques list Supreme Court justices from 1835 to the present; Court of Appeals members from 1925 to the present; Superior Court of Law and Equity members, including Andrew Jackson, from 1796 to 1809; judges of the Court of Errors and Appeals from 1810 to 1835; Court of Chancery Appeals judges from 1895 to 1907; Court of Civil Appeals members from 1907 to 1925; and Court of Criminal Appeals judges from 1967 to the present.
Members and former members of the Tennessee Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and Court of Criminal Appeals will attend the ceremony.