Ep. 18 The Investiture of Justice Dwight E. Tarwater

 In this episode we take you to the investiture ceremony of Justice Dwight E. Tarwater to the Tennessee Supreme Court at the Tennessee Theater in Knoxville on September 5, 2023.

Edited by Nick Morgan 

Transcript

00;59;23;09 - 00;59;38;11
Host
Welcome to Tennessee Court Talk. This episode is different from the interviews we normally host. In this episode, we take you to the investiture ceremony of Justice Dwight ETR water to the Tennessee Supreme Court at the Tennessee Theater in Knoxville.

00;59;38;13 - 00;59;53;06
Court Clerk
Oh, yay yay! Oh, yay! The honorable Supreme Court of the State of Tennessee is now in session. God save the United States, the state of Tennessee, and this honorable court. Please be seated.

00;59;53;09 - 01;00;20;25
Deborah Taylor-Tate
Dear, dear friends, what an incredible day. Welcome to the investiture of Dwight Edward Tarwater as justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court, the highest court of our state and the court of last resort. I know that Dwight and his family are so very honored that each of you is here. Many of you are making the trip from across our great state and also other states as well.

01;00;20;26 - 01;01;14;27
Deborah Taylor-Tate
So allow me first to recognize our national and international dignitaries. If you don't mind, Governor Lee. Former ambassador and former white House counsel A.B. Culvahouse, former policy advisor to President Trump, John Rader, representing U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty and the senators legal counsel, Clark Milner. Nationally renowned products liability and mass tort attorney with Sidley Austin Maya Eaton. We want to welcome you here from the Windy City and Melinda Hardy, corporate board member and long time friend and UT alumni and Ambassador Culvahouse’s, sister from Richmond, Virginia. Thank you all for joining us today.

01;01;14;29 - 01;01;45;04
Deborah Taylor-Tate
There are many of our, General Assembly members here who were unanimous in their, confirmation of Dwight. Please stand so that we can recognize your service and remain standing so that we can recognize all of you all together from the Senate. Lieutenant governor Randy McNally, Senator, majority leader Jack Johnson. Chairman Beau Watson, senators Becky Massey, Adam Lowe.

01;01;45;04 - 01;01;57;14
Deborah Taylor-Tate
And if there any other senators that I've missed, please stand up so we can recognize you.

01;01;57;17 - 01;02;28;27
Deborah Taylor-Tate
And also, members of the House of Representatives, house Majority Leader William Lamberth. Chairman Andrew Farmer where this confirmation process actually began in civil justice subcommittee and other representatives, representative Batts, Bohm, Carrington, Davis, Power, Zachary and any others that I may have missed. Thank you all for being here today.

01;02;29;00 - 01;03;01;13
Deborah Taylor-Tate
I believe that Brandon Gibson, governor Lee and our state chief operating officer is here, along with Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, former US deputy, of Defense Counsel Paul Nye, along with former U.S. Attorney Ed Yarbrough. Thank you to our host city mayors, Mayor Glenn Jacobs and Mayor India Kincannon. Thank you all so much for being here.

01;03;01;16 - 01;03;51;14
Deborah Taylor-Tate
And to the other members of the judiciary who are here. Many of you all have known Dwight since law school days and have come from Memphis to Mountain City. Many of our esteemed judges, in fact, there are so many, there are over 50 that I can't read all of your names or we'd be here all day. But if you are a judge in this great state juvenile General Sessions trial judge, appellate judge, and former justices of the Supreme Court, please stand so that we can show our appreciation for your fair, equitable and equal treatment under the law that is extended to all Tennesseans.

01;03;51;16 - 01;04;19;08
Deborah Taylor-Tate
And please welcome Dean and former Justice William Coke from the Nashville School of Law and Dean Lonnie T. Brown from right here at UT Law School, as well as Candace McLane, former Tennessee Commissioner of Education and now president. The first female president of Lipscomb University. Thank you all. And.

01;04;19;11 - 01;05;01;00
Deborah Taylor-Tate
And finally, of course, we certainly want to welcome our esteemed speakers, beginning with governor Bill Lee. Governor Bill Haslam, Chief Justice Holly Kirby, justice Roger Paige, Justice Jeff Bivins, and Justice Sarah Campbell, the Tarwater family. We especially welcome all of you all here, former General Herbert Slattery, the governor's legal counsel. Erin Merrick and Reverend Doug Bannister. As you all can see, there are hundreds of people here from all branches, of all branches of government and local to global and many more who wanted to attend.

01;05;01;00 - 01;05;29;27
Deborah Taylor-Tate
But they were unable to because Governor Sundquist Memorial was this afternoon as well. If I could just take a moment to remember Governor Sundquist and to extend our deepest sympathy to Martha and the entire family. His legacy continues right here today on this stage, as he was the person who appointed first both Chief Justice Holly Kirby and former Chief Justice Jeff Bivins to the bench.

01;05;30;04 - 01;06;02;10
Deborah Taylor-Tate
He was so proud of these two appointments. Justice Kirby became the first female in history to serve on the Tennessee Court of Appeals, and many of you all, as I did, benefited from his ardent support of your career. He was a true example of reaching across the aisle to do good together for our state. Reverend Doug Bannister will now lead us in the invocation.

01;06;02;12 - 01;06;30;15
Rev. Doug Bannister
I have had the honor of walking with Dwight in the summer of success and the winter of suffering, and the spring of hope and the autumn of disappointment. Regardless of the season, I found him to be a man of integrity and compassion and faith. And I'm thankful he's going to be one of our Supreme Court judges.

01;06;30;17 - 01;06;52;01
Rev. Doug Bannister
Tennessee and celebrate religious freedom. And I know our government does not embrace a particular religion, but I served Dwight and his family as a Christian minister for many years, and I will accordingly pray for him as a Christian. Would you join me? Oh Lord.

01;06;52;03 - 01;07;01;18
Rev. Doug Bannister
You created our world to enjoy Shalom.

01;07;01;20 - 01;07;37;11
Rev. Doug Bannister
You dreamed of a world where every living being lives in harmony, peace, wholeness, and security. You made us to flourish, grow and prosper. Yet sin has shattered shalom. Life on earth is no longer what you created it to be. We praise you. Oh God, that you have not abandoned us. You are rescuing us.

01;07;37;14 - 01;08;02;18
Rev. Doug Bannister
Even now, you're in the process of restoring shalom on earth. And remarkably, you invite us to join you in restoring shalom to our communities in your scriptures. Name this work justice. You are a God of justice.

01;08;02;21 - 01;08;39;06
Rev. Doug Bannister
The Lord has established his throne for justice and he judges the world with righteousness. Praise the psalmist, and you call your people to seek justice? Amos cries out, let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream. Micah asks, what does the Lord will cry? Review but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.

01;08;39;09 - 01;09;27;09
Rev. Doug Bannister
You appoint judges to help us seek justice. Just judges help restore the world to the way God intended it to be. Just judges help restore shalom in our communities. Oh Lord, you have called Dwight Tarwater to restore shalom in our state. As a judge. Help Dwight do justice and love kindness and walk humbly with our God. Help Dwight break up logjams of injustice that keep the waters of justice from flowing freely in our state.

01;09;27;12 - 01;10;04;21
Rev. Doug Bannister
Almighty God, who sits on the throne, judging rightly, you give wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. You reveal deep and hidden things. You know what lies in darkness and light dwells with you. We humbly ask you to bless Dwight with the spirit of wisdom and understanding that he may discern the truth and impartially administer the law and the fear of you alone.

01;10;04;23 - 01;10;35;21
Rev. Doug Bannister
Oh, God. We know that a striking characteristic of biblical justice is caring for the weak and the vulnerable. The prophet Jeremiah commands do justice and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed, and do no violence to the immigrant, the fatherless, or the widow. Give Dwight wisdom in seeking justice for the widow, the orphan, the prisoner, and the refugee.

01;10;35;24 - 01;11;00;06
Rev. Doug Bannister
May he be able to say when he is done with job. Because I delivered the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to help him. And I caused the widow's heart to sing joyfully. My justice was like a robe in a turban. You are prophets, past and present. Dreamt of justice, the restoration of shalom.

01;11;00;08 - 01;11;32;08
Rev. Doug Bannister
They long for a day when every valley shall be exalted. Every hill and mountain shall be made low. The rough places be made plain. The crooked places will be made straight. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed. And all flesh shall see it together. Guide Dwight in the difficult work of making rough places plain and crooked places, straight.

01;11;32;10 - 01;12;06;16
Rev. Doug Bannister
Help him be fair. Help him be impartial. Help him treat everyone as they deserve to be treated. Help him be a bridge builder and a reconciler and a peacemaker. And when he must disagree, help him disagree gracefully. Protect his health that he might serve on the bench for many years to come. Thank you for raising up Dwight Tarwater.

01;12;06;16 - 01;12;17;29
Rev. Doug Bannister
A man after your own heart as a Supreme Court judge in our state. In Jesus name, Amen.

01;12;18;02 - 01;12;47;24
Deborah Taylor-Tate
Thank you so much, Reverend Bannister. And now I want to invite Justice Tarwater’s, two eldest grandsons, Row and Michael Freeman, to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, to the flag of the United States of America, to the Republic, which. Stands for a nation under God, indivisible. With liberty and justice for.

01;12;47;26 - 01;13;20;12
Deborah Taylor-Tate
Thank you. Row. And, Michael, you have been part of making history today. And even though you are Georgia fans, we are glad that you and all of the other grandchildren are here today. So with the entire Tarwater family, wherever you are, please stand and be recognized as Row and Michael take their seats.

01;13;20;15 - 01;13;48;10
Deborah Taylor-Tate
And honored guests and of course to the beautiful Tarwater family. Thank each of you all for taking time to be here today. This is what history is, what history making should look like. The civil and respectful passing of the torch, changing of the guard, whether by investiture or a simple oath taking. This is what we do and who we are.

01;13;48;17 - 01;14;22;02
Deborah Taylor-Tate
This is democracy at its very best. And I'm so very proud to be here, witnessing this honorable transfer of power and prestige and official title from one colleague to another with the utmost of respect. Our forefathers expected no less and today in Tennessee, we are living out this constitutional mandate. Whether your name or title was called out, there is one word that describes everyone in this room and that is friend.

01;14;22;08 - 01;14;55;14
Deborah Taylor-Tate
We are all here today to honor our friend, colleague, law partner, public servant, counselor, father and grandfather as he embarks upon another role not only to serve at the highest office of our judiciary, but more importantly, the epitome of what true public service means in these often acrimonious, contentious and contemptuous toward government and institutions times in which we find ourselves.

01;14;55;16 - 01;15;42;12
Deborah Taylor-Tate
And I have to tell you all, I feel a little guilty because and inadequate because actually we all know who should be standing here. And that is Don Payne. In fact, most of our careers at least of a certain age, are due to, Don Payne and getting us through the bar exam. His impact on each of us, as well as being the official reporter of the Supreme Court for almost 50 years, is indelibly printed, just as Janice Holder said once, no other person has contributed more than Mr. Payne to the ongoing development of the rules of procedure and the rules of evidence, he left an indelible mark on the practice of law in Tennessee,

01;15;42;14 - 01;16;07;20
Deborah Taylor-Tate
so I know he's smiling down at his student, longtime partner and dear friend, and I'm just glad to be a place holder today. Justice Tarwater. You may be succeeding someone with a much smaller shoe size. But, she is fearless, persistent, and a huge supporter of bench and bar, as well as her strong commitment to access to justice.

01;16;07;26 - 01;16;31;17
Deborah Taylor-Tate
We thank and honor you, former Justice Sharon Lee, attorney, judge, chief justice, justice, and the best Mamie in the world. So, Sharon Lee, please stand so we can thank you.

01;16;31;20 - 01;17;00;27
Deborah Taylor-Tate
Governor Bill Haslam certainly needs no introduction here in his hometown. And we will see a video that he taped for Dwight and his family. His impact first here as the mayor is still palpable as his impact on the judiciary, including his appointment of two of our justices here today. However, this is truly personal to him, as he and Dwight were in Bible study for many years together.

01;17;00;29 - 01;17;38;19
Deborah Taylor-Tate
And then we were able to watch him just like we have Dwight Tarwater be a great grandfather. Over his years in public life as our governor. And not only were you all formerly public officials as governor and legal counsel, but also as abiding friends throughout life, he left a legacy of free opportunities for education and attending college books from birth, and the incredible economic success that our state is still enjoying. So let's hear from Governor Haslam in his video.

01;17;38;21 - 01;17;58;26
Fmr. Gov. Haslam
Governor Lee, justices, members of the court, so many distinguished guests who are here today. I really am sorry that, Christy and I can't be with you today. We would love to be here to greet you. Welcome you to Knoxville to see a lot of old friends. And also primarily to pay tribute to my friend Dwight Tarwater.

01;17;58;26 - 01;18;31;12
Fmr. Gov. Haslam
The next Tennessee Supreme Court justice, Herbert Slater. He has a saying that it helps to have people who are seasoned to my life. And I have had the benefit of watching Dwight be seasoned by life. I knew him as a college student, as a young practicing attorney, a young father and husband, is somebody who grew his practice, and suffered the horrible personal tragedy of losing his wife and yet pulled and shepherded his children around them to create such a strong family.

01;18;31;15 - 01;18;54;13
Fmr. Gov. Haslam
I have also seen him, working side by side as legal counsel to the governor, where you see all sorts of issues from, trying to figure out legislative issues to the myriad challenges that come, before the state every day. On the legal front, to the maybe most difficult personal decisions around pardons and clemency and exonerations.

01;18;54;15 - 01;19;14;23
Fmr. Gov. Haslam
And I've seen Dwight handle those all with a true wisdom in the kind of judgment that you want. It ultimately, when you're hiring a lawyer, a counsel, what you hope for, out of, somebody on the bench is somebody with great judgment. And Dwight, will bring that to the, bench. He understands it's not his job to make the law.

01;19;14;23 - 01;19;42;10
Fmr. Gov. Haslam
It's his job to interpret that. And he will play that role. Well, you know, one of the really important things, I think, is understanding exactly what your role is. And I think those that happens best when it's undergirded by a sense of humility of why you're there and what your call is and what it's not. You know, one of my favorite scriptures is, for God as opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

01;19;42;12 - 01;20;10;29
Fmr. Gov. Haslam
Dwight will bring that humility to the bench. That will serve all of us. Well, it gives me great confidence, that Dwight is joining the other outstanding, members of the Tennessee Supreme Court. Again. Thank you. Governor Lee, you made a wonderful selection. Congratulations, Dwight. And this is really another great day for the state of Tennessee. Thanks.

01;20;11;01 - 01;20;45;05
Deborah Taylor-Tate
Well, we might be seated out of order from law school, but how wonderful it is to be united again with General Herbert Slattery. In law school, we sat in alphabetical order. So it was Slattery, Tarwater Taylor, then Tate. And years later, in another chapter, we were reunited as Governor Haslam was just saying, with the daunting responsibilities of official roles, from executions to constitutional issues to judicial appointments, how appropriate that your remarks should follow.

01;20;45;05 - 01;21;14;20
Deborah Taylor-Tate
Your former boss, Governor Haslam, preceding Dwight in that role as legal counsel to the governor. We all appreciated all you did for the state of Tennessee as our attorney general and also as you worked on the national opioid epidemic rampant right here in East Tennessee and providing national leadership for the attorney generals of our United States. You have served our state and nation well, and we thank you, General Slattery.

01;21;14;23 - 01;21;46;26
Herbert Slattery
Thank you, Debbie. And, may it please the court, Governor and, honored guests. And I'm also glad that Debbie ran through the names, because I couldn't have done that. This is a happy day. You know, I years ago, two guys walked into 1505 Cumberland Avenue, learned what a tort was. Read those crazy English contract cases.

01;21;46;28 - 01;22;24;21
Herbert Slattery
Set up a study group. Graduated, studied for the bar, even practiced law for a while in the same firm. And that was my start with Dwight Edward Tarwater. And, we did a lot of things together. He went with me to my first deposition. And after we had taken a, I was walking out and I asked him how he thought it went and like, looked at me and said, well, you know, you, you asked all the right questions, but, you might want to listen to the answers the next time.

01;22;24;23 - 01;22;45;20
Herbert Slattery
Well, that's not the last piece of advice I've gotten from him. And that leads me to three things I don't want to share. Three reasons why I think Dwight's going to be a terrific Supreme Court justice. And it's not because he can moonwalk. Although he can. But there and there are more than three reasons. But, I just wanted to mention three.

01;22;45;23 - 01;23;19;29
Herbert Slattery
The first one is that he's real with Dwight. You get what you get what you see. I mean, there's no put on, there's there's no manufactured persona. He's he's not false in any way. And, and I'll tell you what, I, to tell straight that let me just tell you, well, we heard, I mean, it was just great for him to go through this process, but, before he was, going through this, he was counsel to the Governor Haslam.

01;23;19;29 - 01;23;47;12
Herbert Slattery
And in the last days of the Haslam administration, he got a call from a, shall we say, a rather persistent critic or complainer or whatever. And, Dwight is very polite, and he listened to him for a while, but then at some point he interrupted and said, you know, I've listened to you for a long time. But you can take this and you can just go fly a kite or words to that effect.

01;23;47;14 - 01;24;13;15
Herbert Slattery
I always wanted to say something like that, to be honest with you, but that's what you think it. Dwight says it, and, but I hope that never changes. I really hope that never changes. In fact, when we learned, I was with, our solicitor general, Andre Blumstein, in her office when we learned that the governor had appointed Dwight another one of your many, many good decisions.

01;24;13;15 - 01;24;38;12
Herbert Slattery
Governor. And, we looked at each other and we smiled, and we said, those judicial conferences are going to get a lot more lively. Yeah. So he's real a second, the second characteristic and and factor, I think is, he knows state government. I know you think that's really boring. But it isn't. He's worked in the judicial branch.

01;24;38;14 - 01;25;03;06
Herbert Slattery
He's worked for years, with, Governor Haslam in the executive branch. He worked with the legislature handling and got the governor's bills and all sorts of other issues. And when I say he knows state government, it's not simply up here or some sort of passive knowledge. It's the difference between knowing honey is sweet and tasting it. And Dwight's tasted it.

01;25;03;08 - 01;25;24;06
Herbert Slattery
And I can tell you from my years in the Attorney General's office, we longed for judges to know how hard governing really is. Governing is a lot like, it's a lot of five, four decisions and they're coming at you really fast. You've got to make decisions. You've got to you've got to move forward because there's a whole nother bunch coming down the road right at you.

01;25;24;08 - 01;25;52;22
Herbert Slattery
And it's difficult. He I think it's it's really, really, difficult when you consider all the, all of the things you have to, balance and, and Dwight has, has that handle, and, you know, he knows that bill amendments are made in the heat of the moment. There's not, you know, the grammar is not pluperfect in all instances.

01;25;52;24 - 01;26;13;18
Herbert Slattery
He knows that, legislative history is is not reliable. So that won't be a problem for him at all. But that knowledge, that knowledge of state government will really, really help Tennessee. And I looked at the program and I saw a follow of the governor, Governor Haslam, and I knew he was going to take part of this talk.

01;26;13;20 - 01;26;39;15
Herbert Slattery
And he mentioned season by life, and he did a really good job. And I'm not going to, correct or modify that. In any event, I will give you one more glimpse from a different perspective. I think, you know, the governor's they don't appoint people who, judges who aren't smart, who, who can't, right.

01;26;39;17 - 01;27;05;11
Herbert Slattery
Who don't have the kind of character of those are admission to tickets. But there has to be something that separates them from the from the rest. And, Dwight's experience, with his family, it was a separator. And, another thing that we shared, both of us married way over our heads. And I can tell you, Mary Flowers Tarwater was beautiful, smart and formidable.

01;27;05;13 - 01;27;33;10
Herbert Slattery
And how he handled those experiences was simply amazing. But he got asked about that when he was before the, the Judicial Council for the governor's appointments. And, I'll never forget. Forget it. They asked him about it. He shared how hard it was. And, then he sort of set up in his chair, leaned forward, and he said, I'll tell you this.

01;27;33;12 - 01;28;05;21
Herbert Slattery
I'm not afraid. And he's not so those are three reasons why I think Dwight's going to be a fabulous Supreme Court justice. And to quote Tina Turner, Dwight, at this particular time, for this particular position, with the court, you are simply the best. And I can tell you that, I speak for virtually everyone in this room that we are pulling for you.

01;28;05;23 - 01;28;40;04
Herbert Slattery
We admire you. We respect you for who you are and what you've accomplished. And we know that Tennessee will look back at some point in its history. And we'll be awfully glad that Dwight Tarwater raised his hand for public service. Now, as you would instruct me solely day. Oh, glory to God alone be the glory. Thank you.

01;28;40;07 - 01;29;14;00
Deborah Taylor-Tate
Thank you so much, General Slattery. I've already mentioned that Chief Justice Holly Kirby's impact on Tennessee history was great, and not only for women in the legal profession, but for all women. As the first female ever appointed to the Court of Appeals. However, Justice Kirby is also only the sixth female in the history of our state to be appointed to the Supreme Court by Governor Haslam in 2014, and only the fourth female Chief Justice.

01;29;14;03 - 01;29;42;27
Deborah Taylor-Tate
Her bar associations and honors and awards are too numerous to list today, however, one that transcends our legal profession and one that I found just to be incredible, is she was named mother of the year from the Tennessee Justice Center. Justice Kirby, you will never need to question Justice Tarwaters absolute and total commitment and loyalty to the good of the court.

01;29;43;00 - 01;30;00;29
Deborah Taylor-Tate
Dwight will be very much like Thomas Jefferson, who said, I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, or in philosophy as any cause for withdrawing from a friend. Chief Justice Kirby.

01;30;01;02 - 01;30;31;23
Justice Kirby
It's my privilege and a pure joy to be here today on behalf of the court for the investiture of Dwight Tarwater as a court. You know, we don't get a say in who applies or who is selected, but you better believe we are watching this time. There could be no finer applicant or selection. Governor Lee could have made

01;30;31;26 - 01;31;20;15
Justice Kirby
Dwight Tarwater has the integrity, the intellect, the work ethic, the compassion, and the old fashioned common sense needed to be an excellent justice on our state's high Court. He also has perhaps the most important quality. That's one that Governor Haslam mentioned in his remarks. Humility. Let me explain. When our founding fathers were fashioning the new government for the United States, they grappled with the question, how can we give government the power it needs without also giving it the power to oppress?

01;31;20;17 - 01;31;54;06
Justice Kirby
Their answer was to define and divide governmental power. Specifically, the founders gave the national government only so much, and the rest was left to the states and the people. Because of this, there's only a few defined areas where the state Supreme Court has to defer to the you to the United States Supreme Court, things like the federal Constitution and federal statutes.

01;31;54;09 - 01;32;33;01
Justice Kirby
But on questions about our state constitution, our state statutes, our state common law, the U.S. Supreme Court must defer to the state supreme court. In fact, on most of the questions that we hear, the ruling of the Tennessee Supreme Court is the final word. There's no appeal, no higher authority. That's why humility is so important. The kind of power state supreme Court justices have must be tempered by humility.

01;32;33;03 - 01;33;04;10
Justice Kirby
Now, I think we can all rest assured that Dwight Tarwater is not going to come down with a case of black robe fever. He'll use the power that governor Lee gives him today with humility. That brings me to the other thing we on the court are grateful for something that Debbie Tate mentioned for all of Justice Tarwaters very important credentials and abilities.

01;33;04;13 - 01;33;42;25
Justice Kirby
His superpower may be that he's a terrific friend. That quality will help the court as we all work together to make so many hard decisions. I mean, think about it. Whatever capacity Dwight occupies has occupied in your life your advocate, your opposing counsel, your coworker, even your family member. Don't you also kind of think of him as your buddy?

01;33;42;27 - 01;34;06;02
Justice Kirby
Raise your hand if you think of Dwight as your buddy. Yeah. So many people in this room we do to. So welcome friend. Welcome to our court. We look forward to working with you for many years to come.

01;34;06;04 - 01;34;33;03
Deborah Taylor-Tate
Thank you. Justice Kirby. General Counsel Aaron Merrick will officially and introduce the honorable Bill Lee. But I just wanted to say and repeat. Thank you, governor Lee, for all of your wonderful appointments and especially for this one. Dwight was the right person at the right time. And I think that our good friend, Senator Carrie Robertson, I'm not sure I can't see you all.

01;34;33;03 - 01;34;59;02
Deborah Taylor-Tate
So I don't know if he's out there. Said something during the Judiciary Committee's confirmation. That is so true. And he said, and I think, governor Lee, you would you would also underscore this. There are so many tangible qualities, and you all have heard this over and over that are necessary and that Dwight has. But we don't talk enough about the intangible qualities.

01;34;59;05 - 01;35;29;25
Deborah Taylor-Tate
Senator Roberts said. I've been so impressed with you, your demeanor, your approach, your thoughtful. You're generous with your time, quick to listen, slow to speak. And I know all the tangible things you possess, but I want the people on that bench to have the intangible qualities that you have, who you are, as Chief Justice just said, and what you stand for, the attitude that you've brought in the past to your work and that you all apply to this court in the future.

01;35;29;28 - 01;36;07;00
Deborah Taylor-Tate
So clearly, Governor Lee, you saw these intangible qualities too. So we welcome you today to move him from citizen Tarwater to justice, Tarwater. But first, Aaron Merrick, who has said holds the exact same job that both Dwight and General Slattery held. So you're beginning to see there are a lot of connections up here. She joined governor Lee after an incredibly successful career at the Attorney General's office, where, much like Mr. Tarwater, she handled extraordinarily complex multi-state litigation.

01;36;07;03 - 01;36;39;03
Deborah Taylor-Tate
In addition to both state and federal court, she also represented us before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. However, possibly most noteworthy was that she oversaw the campaign regarding the amendment to the Tennessee Constitution regarding the selection of appellate judges. And while many citizens may not realize that, I think that all we in this room do realize that we owe her a great debt of gratitude. So, counsel Merrick.

01;36;39;06 - 01;37;06;28
Erin Merrick
Good afternoon. Together with my team, I manage the governor's selection process for appellate judges. We rigorously vet candidates to test their chops for the state's highest courts through a series of interviews and hypos and just getting to know one another. Selecting Supreme Court justices is one of the governor's greatest responsibilities, with repercussions that will echo far beyond the end of an administration.

01;37;07;00 - 01;37;40;08
Erin Merrick
And you've heard so many talk today about all the factors, tangible and intangible, that make Dwight Tarwater such an excellent choice for this job. And strength of character is one of the prime things that is considered when the governor makes an appointment such as this. So the person who has the duty and the privilege to weigh all of the factors we've discussed here today and to make the best choice for Tennessee is our 50th governor, Bill Lee. Please join me in welcoming Governor Lee to the podium. Thank you.

01;37;40;10 - 01;38;13;04
Gov. Lee
What an incredible honor it is for me to have the job and the opportunity of, selecting justices to the Supreme Court. I have said on many occasions that this may be the most important, if not one of the most important jobs that a governor has. So, welcome to this incredibly important ceremony. Thank each one of you for being here.

01;38;13;06 - 01;38;45;24
Gov. Lee
Justices, family, former, officials. Members of the judiciary. Members of the General Assembly. Lieutenant governor. I think speaker may be here. There are so many dignitaries in this room. Dwight, you should be very proud. You have assembled quite a group of folks for quite an important moment. It is one of the most important things that I have to do in this job.

01;38;45;24 - 01;39;23;22
Gov. Lee
And I've said, and if you've if you've been interviewed by me for a judicial position, you would know that I would say I'm probably the least qualified person in the room to choose a judge when surrounded by so many lawyers and judges and members of the judiciary, except that it's the job given to the governor to choose and, as was expressed earlier, justice is the cornerstone of the selection process.

01;39;23;24 - 01;39;58;15
Gov. Lee
It's the cornerstone of this job. And in some ways, when I go to the through the process of selecting a judge and certainly, justice for the Supreme Court, it requires not expertise in the law or expertise. And, the particulars that are a part of that job. But a discernment of the qualities and the characteristics of that human being that's going to sit on that bench.

01;39;58;17 - 01;40;43;13
Gov. Lee
I, Have interviewed few men like Dwight Tarwater for this position. Men or women? Few people. Obviously, all of his accolades, his accomplishments, his successes have been spoken about, laid out before you. But this process means that a number of highly qualified people come to the forefront for positions like this. And then it's my job to sit and speak with each one of them and interview them and discern, the right person for that job.

01;40;43;16 - 01;41;32;11
Gov. Lee
A little bit like the, the job that a justice has to assemble all of the facts and look at the law and look at the text and, and review everything about the case, and then discern what's the appropriate decision going forward in this case, that discernment came quickly. And I think part of the reason that was has been spoken about already, the characteristics and the quality and the, the, lessons learned from a life lived that have created a man that is unique and stands out above the others.

01;41;32;13 - 01;41;42;04
Gov. Lee
I especially want to, want to. General Slattery later, you spoke of the honey that he has tasted.

01;41;42;06 - 01;42;23;07
Gov. Lee
Governor Haslam some spoke of the tragedies that he's faced. I'm a person who believes that to the degree of to the degree, a man has not only tasted sweetness, but bittersweet. That bittersweet is, in fact, the most important flavor of all that to the degree that a person has been broken, they can be whole. To the degree that a person has experienced sorrow, they can experience joy that a full life the fullest, richest, most meaningful life is often lived.

01;42;23;09 - 01;42;49;13
Gov. Lee
Out of the depths of the hardest things in life. And certainly this man has walked through all of those to find himself at this important place in life to to impact even more people's lives than he has already. It is a huge honor for me to have gone through the process and to select why this is an incredibly rare and important position.

01;42;49;15 - 01;43;16;25
Gov. Lee
It will. It will have an impact on Tennesseans for decades to come and for some forever. And so it's not taken lightly, but it's, it was one that was, I wouldn't say it was easy to select, but it was certainly one that once that selection was made and knew that the right selection had been made, and his evidence to a whole lot of people in here, that that is the case.

01;43;16;27 - 01;43;35;23
Gov. Lee
So, sir, we are proud of you and grateful for you. I know your family is it's the greatest, greatest joy. I have to be a part of this ceremony. Thank you for that. And I think, it's time for me to administer the oath. Dwight. ETR water.

01;43;35;25 - 01;43;37;05
Justice Tarwater
I Dwight E. Tarwater.

01;43;37;05 - 01;43;38;13
Gov. Lee
Do solemnly swear.

01;43;38;13 - 01;43;39;20
Justice Tarwater
Do solemnly swear.

01;43;39;20 - 01;43;43;22
Gov. Lee
That I will support the constitution of the United States of America.

01;43;43;24 - 01;43;47;21
Justice Tarwater
That I will support the Constitution of the United States of America.

01;43;47;21 - 01;43;49;15
Gov. Lee
And the state of Tennessee

01;43;49;18 - 01;43;50;28
Justice Tarwater
and The state of Tennessee.

01;43;51;00 - 01;43;53;19
Gov. Lee
And that I will faithfully and impartially.

01;43;53;26 - 01;43;56;16
Justice Tarwater
And that I will faithfully and impartially.

01;43;56;19 - 01;44;00;04
Gov. Lee
Discharge all the duties incumbent upon me.

01;44;00;04 - 01;44;03;04
Justice Tarwater
Discharge all of the duties incumbent upon.

01;44;03;04 - 01;44;07;01
Gov. Lee
Me as justice of the Supreme Court of the State of Tennessee.

01;44;07;08 - 01;44;11;05
Justice Tarwater
As justice of the Supreme Court of the State of Tennessee.

01;44;11;05 - 01;44;13;19
Gov. Lee
To the best of my skill and ability.

01;44;13;19 - 01;44;15;21
Justice Tarwater
To the best of my skill and ability.

01;44;15;21 - 01;44;16;19
Gov. Lee
So help me God.

01;44;16;19 - 01;44;17;18
Justice Tarwater
So help me God.

01;44;17;20 - 01;44;54;00
Gov. Lee
Congratulations. Thank you. I may have to,

01;44;54;02 - 01;45;03;27
Justice Tarwater
Well, that was, Seemed like maybe the hardest part of this job. Getting the getting the robe on.

01;45;03;29 - 01;45;05;27
Justice Kirby
Yea...

01;45;06;00 - 01;45;54;11
Justice Tarwater
I can't help that. But think about that little, difficulty. And I want to tell you and I want to tell, all of Tennessee. I'm so thankful and honored to serve. But it's not about the black robe for me. I want to do the work. I want to decide the cases. I want to serve with honor. Thank you, governor Lee. I, I told you that I would.

01;45;54;13 - 01;46;26;07
Justice Tarwater
Work hard and be fair, and that's what I will do. And I promise you, sir, I will never. I like that oath that you just gave me. And I won't let you down. And I won't let Tennessee down. And may it please the court. I am Dwight Tarwater of the Knoxville Bar.

01;46;26;09 - 01;47;08;27
Justice Tarwater
And it was a great privilege to be before you. And it's a bigger honor to sit beside you. We, I look forward to the next mountain that we can climb together. There are many members of the General Assembly here today. And I, Debbie mentioned a lot of you by name, and I, I won't try to do that again.

01;47;08;29 - 01;47;55;14
Justice Tarwater
But I want to. I want to thank you. Everyone of you, for voting to confirm me. One of the most humbling moments in my life was when you voted to confirm me unanimously. I, I think about that in today's times. And if if I'm a guy who can just bring a little sliver of consensus and unity, I want to do that.

01;47;55;14 - 01;48;16;02
Justice Tarwater
And I'm. I'm thankful that you gave me that opportunity. So, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Lieutenant. Governor McNally. Thank you, Becky Massey, for standing up for me during the Judiciary Committee hearing.

01;48;16;05 - 01;48;35;05
Justice Tarwater
Thank you, Chairman Gardenhire. Thank you, Chairman Farmer, for making the motion on the House floor to confirm me. Thank you, leader Johnson, for making the motion in the Senate to confirm me.

01;48;35;07 - 01;48;58;21
Justice Tarwater
And thank you. Leader Lamberth, majority leader Lamberth, I think you're out there somewhere. You're my colleague and my friend, and, I appreciate you being here, and I appreciate all of the members of the House and Senate.

01;48;58;23 - 01;49;45;09
Justice Tarwater
There are many judges here today. I, Many of you I’ve been before. Many of you have extended kindnesses to me. In emails and texts and phone calls and, but I want every one of you to to know something that I will never disregard. Every single one of you. Has has been on the bench longer than me.

01;49;45;11 - 01;50;12;04
Justice Tarwater
I'll need your counsel and advice. I will give great weight to the precedents that you set and the customs that you established. And I'll do my best to catch on. But I promise you, I'll, I'll I'll I'll always know my place. And while I'm talking about judges, maybe I'll. I'll call one out here.

01;50;12;06 - 01;50;51;02
Justice Tarwater
Perhaps the person that showed me the greatest kindness during my transition. Justice Lee, thank you for your service. Justice Lee, you served with honor and dignity and integrity. You left the bench a better place. You helped me so graciously during the transition. I'll do my dead level best to hold high the torch that you passed to me.

01;50;51;04 - 01;51;38;02
Justice Tarwater
And to my lawyer colleagues. I know there there's a bunch of y'all out there that I've tried cases with, tried cases against, had a few beers with, You know, being a lawyer is more than what we do. It's it's who we are. I will never forget what it felt like to be in the arena. To sometimes being the only person standing by a client who had no one else but you.

01;51;38;04 - 01;52;12;13
Justice Tarwater
I loved to pick juries. I loved to open. I loved to examine witnesses. I loved to cross-examine witnesses. And I loved being an advocate in the courtroom for clients, who needed help. Now, I didn't like losing as many cases as I did. But that's part of that humility check to. I won't forget my lawyer colleagues.

01;52;12;14 - 01;52;46;14
Justice Tarwater
I won't forget that. I know what you want from the bench. You want judges who will allow you to to present your case. So that your clients have a fair and a full shot. And I hope to bring that to the court. All we really want as lawyers is a chance, right? A chance that the court might see it our way.

01;52;46;16 - 01;53;12;10
Justice Tarwater
And we want our judges to be prepared. I will never forget. I will never be that far removed. But I want to remind you all a something. I'm going to know what you're up to.

01;53;12;12 - 01;53;36;23
Justice Tarwater
Let me call out a few lawyers. I had this great investiture committee. Chaired by co-chaired by two of my pals, Tom Hale of the crime, race and firm and Don Bosch of Don Bosch.

01;53;36;26 - 01;54;44;15
Justice Tarwater
Tom Hale and Don Bosch. Right. Two peas in a pod. The other members of my committee were Robin Askew, Kyle Carpenter, Bruce Fox, Cheryl, Cheryl Rice, Wayne Richie and Culver Schmidt and, they they helped me with this, this event and did a beautiful job. And, I can't thank you all enough. And if you look in your program, you will see a list of sponsors for this event and the reception afterwards. They're numerous, law firms and lawyers who, Have, contributed their resources so that we can do this today and your your generosity is, overwhelming. And I thank you so much.

01;54;44;17 - 01;55;14;10
Justice Tarwater
So Debbie mentioned Don Payne. You know, it's always good to remember those in your life that gave you a chance, that saw in you things that perhaps others did not. Payne, I guess, was he was my partner and mentor, but gosh darn was like, the partner and mentor to us all. He, he taught us the bar review course.

01;55;14;10 - 01;55;53;09
Justice Tarwater
He taught cla. He was the, long time, reporter to the Supreme Court's advisory Commission on the Rules of Evidence and Civil Procedure. So here's a little backstory. A few days ago, Chief Justice Kirby, asked me if I would be the court's liaison to the Advisory commission on the rules. I was so, so thankful to be able to do that.

01;55;53;12 - 01;56;17;06
Justice Tarwater
Because it gives me an opportunity to connect to Payne's legacy and, I'll do the best I can do with that. It won't be like him, but I'll, You know, he did teach me, to always take my role of the court. So if you're a young lawyer out there, take your rulebook to court. It'll help you.

01;56;17;08 - 01;56;19;24
Justice Tarwater


01;56;19;27 - 01;57;03;22
Justice Tarwater
My form was firmed it. My form was firmed. Yeah. There you go. My firm was formed in 1987. I suppose that the hardest thing about this was walking out of there last Thursday, knowing that in all likelihood, I'll never be back. Firm has existed for 36 years now. We have done well, had, some, a lot of good days and very few bad days.

01;57;03;25 - 01;57;35;07
Justice Tarwater
So we remember the good, Tom Bickers, my long time partner, I guess our partnership is the second longest in my life. There's, More for you to do, Tom, look after those young lawyers in our firm.

01;57;35;09 - 01;57;44;14
Justice Tarwater
You were strong and wise to me. And I'm sure you'll continue to be strong and wise for them.

01;57;44;17 - 01;58;34;21
Justice Tarwater
My other partners, Mike King, John Elder, Tyler Williams, Catherine Anglin and Lindsey Collins. I, I can't wait to see the good that you do. And like that sign that's on my office door that says onward. It is time to move onward. So Godspeed. Payne, Vickers, elder King and Williams. Another lawyer I, I'll talk about briefly is Debbie Tate and I met Debbie when we were undergraduates, and we've had this unlikely 50 year friendship.

01;58;34;23 - 01;59;15;18
Justice Tarwater
She was close to my late wife. Her husband was in my wedding. He and I pursued careers in private practice. Debbie went into service. She served in the bush administration as the FCC commissioner. Served at the state level as the executive director of the courts. So let me tell you one story about Debbie. And it doesn't have to do there, there were there perhaps other stories that Debbie knows that, I'm glad were discussed during my background check.

01;59;15;20 - 01;59;50;16
Justice Tarwater
Okay. During our college days, but I want to tell you this story about Debbie. When it came time for me to take the oath, she gave me a little Bible. It's a little tiny Bible. And Debbie collects these Bibles. This was probably carried by an old soldier. It appears to be a couple of hundred years old, maybe 100 years old. Everyone should have a friend.

01;59;50;19 - 02;00;31;06
Justice Tarwater
That gives them a Bible. And I hope everyone is a friend. Can be a friend here. Can give someone a little Bible and maybe remind them of the words of Micah, which seems like he's the thing today. Right? To do justice and seek mercy and walk humbly. Our accomplishments will fade away, but our relationships will last forever.

02;00;31;09 - 02;00;56;26
Justice Tarwater
So in 2013, shortly after my wife died, my friend Herbert Slater at Slater, he asked me if I would work on amendment to the judicial selection amendment to the Constitution. So I helped Herbert and I didn't I wasn't I didn't have a lot of zip for trying lawsuits at that point, but I could help Herbert. And so I did.

02;00;56;27 - 02;01;13;06
Justice Tarwater
And about a year later, he said, you know, you should consider, becoming governor. Haslam’s general counsel. And so I agreed to talk to the governor about that.

02;01;13;09 - 02;01;30;15
Justice Tarwater
It was as if these two men kind of grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and lifted me up out of this abyss that I was in. They tell me, we have good work for you to do.

02;01;30;17 - 02;02;04;01
Justice Tarwater
And so I did. Now, I will tell you this, I'm I'm a litigator, right? I'm not a general counsel. But I knew that what I should do for Governor Haslam, it's kind of the reverse paradigm here. I knew that what I should do is be heard and not seen to be heard by him in a quiet and wise way.

02;02;04;04 - 02;02;40;16
Justice Tarwater
And so that's what I tried to do for the governor. And it wasn't actually in my skill set. Okay. Where was the courtroom? Where was the the flash in the sizzle? You know that we all get these adrenaline rushes for. But what I saw in that service was this virtue. I saw the needle move, saw Tennesseans affected positively by some of our reforms and some of the legislation that we sponsored.

02;02;40;18 - 02;03;04;24
Justice Tarwater
And I wondered then if I would have the opportunity to serve again and, And and now I do, and I'm really very thankful for that. As the years have passed.

02;03;04;26 - 02;03;34;10
Justice Tarwater
God has allowed me to encounter some important people. Who have turned out to mean very much to me, and sometimes in unexpected ways. So I'd like to say a public thank you. To umm

02;03;34;12 - 02;04;21;13
Justice Tarwater
To a person that I reconnected with, who had also lost her spouse, Melinda Hardy from Richmond, Virginia. So skilled and gifted and beautiful and charming. And I, You know, I the person that connected us sent me a picture and said, this is Melinda Hardy from Richmond, Virginia. And I said, well, that may be Melinda Hardy, but it looks an awful lot like Mimi Culvahouse from Ten mile, Tennessee.

02;04;21;16 - 02;04;59;22
Justice Tarwater
And in fact, that's who that was. A, a classmate, there are, three things that Melinda, does not entertain or do very well. Two of those are confusion and doubt. And so when I became confused about my mission, she helped me with that. And when I doubted myself, she really helped me with that.

02;04;59;25 - 02;05;13;18
Justice Tarwater
The, the third thing is that she doesn't suffer fools gladly. And I'm still working on that one.

02;05;13;20 - 02;05;57;00
Justice Tarwater
C.S. Lewis, wrote the good of Oneself is to be the good of another. Thank you, Mamie, for taking this journey with me. And thank you for finding the the good of another. Finding my family. Look at these guys. Is. I mean, I it's,

02;05;57;02 - 02;06;13;24
Justice Tarwater
You know, to in 2012, my kids lost their mom, and I didn't know quite how that might turn out. And,

02;06;13;27 - 02;06;37;02
Justice Tarwater
We are not the only family that has experienced great tragedy. And I'm not the only person on this stage that lost a spouse. And we can look around in our communities and see pain and sickness and dying and death and injustice every day.

02;06;37;04 - 02;07;13;03
Justice Tarwater
Sometimes we have to gather our kids around us and say, this is what we're going to do now. I look at you three, and the three of you have gotten married in these last ten years, their five grandchildren and another one on the way. Charity. Have number six in December. And I look at you, I see how you have lived.

02;07;13;05 - 02;07;47;26
Justice Tarwater
I see the goodness in your lives. I see your faithful hearts. I see how productive you've been. I see the love that you have for your children, my grandchildren. And the way that you have lived your lives has been a very great inspiration to me. Thank you for lifting me up and helping me to this spot on the podium.

02;07;47;28 - 02;08;14;06
Justice Tarwater
I love you and I'm so proud of you. And so my journey, this broken road that Rascal Flatts sang about, has led me here to this stage in this town, in this theater I saw In Search of the Castaways here in 1962, I rode the city bus from West Hills.

02;08;14;09 - 02;08;51;27
Justice Tarwater
To downtown Knoxville to the Tennessee Theater to see Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in 1969. I started my law practice across the street from this building. That's where Herbert and I were first year associates. I started my law firm a block to the south of here. I've walked down this street thousands of times to the courthouse. And back to the office.

02;08;51;29 - 02;09;36;09
Justice Tarwater
I stand before you, thankful for your love and friendship and for this community. This community that, cheered for my family and wept with my family and prayed for my family. Thank you. Knoxville. I hear there there hadn't been somebody like me up here since 1947. At least that's what somebody wrote. From from our community in and, I'll, I'll try to serve for at least 75 years when the next one gets appointed.

02;09;36;12 - 02;09;41;20
Justice Tarwater


02;09;41;23 - 02;10;18;27
Justice Tarwater
So my friend Halloran Hill used to say that today it's never been lived before, and neither has tomorrow, tomorrow is unknown. We can fear tomorrow, or we can embrace tomorrow. I want tomorrow to be my friend. And I want tomorrow to be your friend. And tomorrow, I will be on the bench, at 9:00 in the morning.

02;10;18;29 - 02;10;57;04
Justice Tarwater
And when that journey begins, I will offer you in the state everything that I am and nothing that I'm not. So humility is something that we've heard about today, and, it's humility is an acquired skill. Right. So when you're a young man, it's or a young person, it's sometimes a little hard to be humble. And then when you've had your brains beat out about a thousand times, it gets easier, you know, to be to be humble.

02;10;57;07 - 02;11;19;12
Justice Tarwater
I've lost a lot of cases to the lawyers in this room. And in fact, I've had most of the judges in this room ruled against me. So I, you know, I, I, I get the whole humility thing. I, I want to, you know, wouldn't be wouldn't be right for me not to tell a story. Right.

02;11;19;12 - 02;12;05;05
Justice Tarwater
So I'll close with a story about humility. And this was my humility test. And it came when I was counsel to the other. And, and, you know, this is when I learned that I still had a little, little ways to go, to be the person that I want to be. There was an event at Riverbend, the maximum security facility in or just outside of Nashville, and there were credible threats of violence at the prison and at the Capitol that night.

02;12;05;07 - 02;12;40;24
Justice Tarwater
And, we were monitoring things from a command post in the bottom of the Capitol. There were security detail there. There were lots of troopers there. There were lots of videos, you know, of the perimeter of the Capitol and also in the prison. And as the night wore on, things settled down and, it looked like we were we were going to be okay.

02;12;41;01 - 02;13;19;08
Justice Tarwater
We were going to be able to, to go home. And there were three members of the governor's staff there that night. There was me. And then there were two, went to women, both expecting, the press secretary and the policy adviser to Governor Haslam. And so I went down there to hang out with the troopers, and I said, boys, I said, how about taking these two to their car and make sure they get there safely and, and, and get home.

02;13;19;11 - 02;13;47;17
Justice Tarwater
And they said, yes, sir, counselor. We got them, you know, don't worry about it. And so they escorted the two out. And then that left me. I was the only person on the governor's staff left in the Capitol. And they said, counselor, you want us to take you out? And I said, now, boys, I got this. You know, my car's down at the bottom of the steps where it always is, and I'll be fine.

02;13;47;20 - 02;14;02;29
Justice Tarwater
Time went out. The back door of the Capitol, started down the steps only to encounter a mob, at the bottom of the steps of the Capitol. Or at least it seemed like a mob.

02;14;03;02 - 02;14;49;14
Justice Tarwater
They were carrying torches that seemed like torches. So I went back into the Capitol and went back into the security detail. And I said, guys, there's, there's a mob you know, down at the bottom of the steps. And they said, oh my gosh, where do they come from? Don't worry, don't worry. We'll take you out. So I had two big burly troopers on either side of me, and they escorted me out of the Capitol and down the steps and man, I felt like Josh Heupel. You know, Bear Bryant, you know, I was a big shot.

02;14;49;14 - 02;15;10;26
Justice Tarwater
I had security, I had big, I had four big guys. And we entered into the mob. The the mob was a haunted walking tour of Nashville.

02;15;10;28 - 02;15;15;23
Justice Tarwater
For.

02;15;15;26 - 02;15;17;03
Justice Tarwater
And.

02;15;17;05 - 02;15;27;10
Justice Tarwater
And they had all stopped to light candles at the tomb of Andrew Jackson.

02;15;27;12 - 02;15;47;10
Justice Tarwater
So I, I looked at the trooper, and the trooper looked at me. And. That's kind of what I sounded like.

02;15;47;13 - 02;16;01;19
Justice Tarwater
And one, one of these young troopers looked at me and said, think you can make it from here?

02;16;01;22 - 02;16;36;08
Justice Tarwater
So that was my humility. Check. And, that was, that helped, helped me become a finished product. Thank you. Friends, neighbors, colleagues, lawyers, judges, elected officials. Thank you. Knoxville. Thank you, governor Lee. I think I can make it from here.

02;16;36;10 - 02;17;00;23
Deborah Taylor-Tate
I think he's got that humility thing. Now, we welcome our brother and sister bar associations who will now officially present Gavels to the honorable justice Tara Water. Mr. Jim Barry, president of the Tennessee Bar Association, who's come all the way from Memphis to be here. And Mrs. Loretta Cravens, president of the Knoxville bar.

02;17;00;25 - 02;17;23;27
Jim Berry
Thank you. As Debbie said, I'm Jim Berry, president of TBA. And on behalf of all the members across the state of the Bar. Association, I want to congratulate you. Just as Tarwater and present you with this gavel.

02;17;23;29 - 02;17;41;15
Loretta Cravens
My name is Loretta Cravens. I am honored to be president of the Knoxville Bar Association. And we are honored that you are Dwight Tarwater, Knoxville Bar. And it is my honor to congratulate you, and to be the first to congratulate. You on. Never facing another. Adverse ruling from anyone in this.

02;17;41;15 - 02;17;58;21
Loretta Cravens
Room or a lawsuit, any of these litigators hands. We know you will serve us. And that same volunteer spirit. You've always served our bar. From time to time, we'll be looking for a little bit of the sizzle.

02;17;58;24 - 02;18;31;28
Deborah Taylor-Tate
It says that I have remarks, but I will just thank our dignitaries on stage and those in attendance, and especially Governor Haslam for the video and Governor Lee, for your wonderful remarks. We're so glad that you're here. And to the Chief Justice for those generous remarks for Dwight and his family and our great state, friends, much has been said by all of our honored guests about Dwight's pass and clear preparation and exemplary legal qualifications for this role.

02;18;32;00 - 02;18;56;19
Deborah Taylor-Tate
And he mentioned Micah six eight. So I will close just by saying I had a few quotes that I found for you. First, from justice O'Connor, who had so many firsts in our nation's history, I don't know that there any shortcuts to doing a good job. So remember that. Just do the best every single day, Abraham Lincoln.

02;18;56;21 - 02;19;25;15
Deborah Taylor-Tate
And finally, success is not the position where you are standing today, but the direction that you are going. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes so we we wish you all the greatest success in this new role. Justice, Tarwater, our state and our citizens will benefit from your experience, your commitment to the rule of law and your humble servant leadership.

02;19;25;17 - 02;19;50;27
Deborah Taylor-Tate
Godspeed. Dear friend. I would be remiss if I didn't also recognize staff from the administrative Office of the courts who are here to support the court and new justice Tarwater. So thank you all for being here. Madam clerk, would you please come? All rise.

02;19;51;00 - 02;19;55;26
Court Clerk
The honorable Supreme Court of the State of Tennessee is now adjourned.