Tennessee's Supreme Court justices commemorated 19th amendment on campus
The women of the Supreme Court gathered on campus in February to honor 100th anniversary of ratification
From staff reports |
Commemorating the 100th anniversary of Tennessee’s history-making vote to ratify the 19th amendment which provided the vote to women, Lipscomb University hosted a history-making event in February by gathering all the women of Tennessee’s Supreme Court.
For the first time in history, all six of the former and current women justices of the Tennessee Supreme Court gathered in one place to speak to students and the community in a February event hosted by the Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice and Society.
The event included a dinner for the community featuring a conversation with the six justices on social, political and legal matters impacting the United States today. In addition, students were invited to attend a forum where the justices discussed law, the court and their personal lives as they navigated both.
The women of the Tennessee Supreme Court are: Justices Cornelia A. Clark, Sharon Lee, Holly Kirby and Martha Craig Daughtrey and former Justices Janice Holder and Penny White.
Four of the justices pictured here, along with the moderator, discussed work-life balance, suffrage issues for white and black women and change for the future.
The conversations were moderated by Joycelyn Stevenson, one of Nashville’s most influential attorneys and the first African-American executive director of the Tennessee Bar Association; Kimberly McCall, adjunct faculty in the Gray Institute; and students Jayla Williams, Mimi Vance and May Hartness.
To begin the discussion, each woman shared her path to the court system. Almost all noted that they pursued other fields after their college years, and many thought they would become teachers or nurses. A career in law did not seem accessible because of how rare women lawyers and judges were at the time.
“As much as that has changed, still things have remained the same,” said Holder, who acknowledged there are more women in the court, but many people still do not associate the role of judge with a female.
For some, the bias against women was exactly why they chose to work in law. Daughtrey’s journey to the profession began when she was challenged by the concept “separate but equal,” a reality she faced as one of three women in her law school class.
Clark first considered law at the beginning of her career as a teacher of American history and political science. At the time, she also volunteered with a congressional campaign. With a curriculum centered around the actions of influential people and her work alongside passionate advocates in the campaign program, Clark was inspired by the idea of changing the world.
Certainly each woman’s journey to the judge’s seat was not easy. Justice Holder, from West Tennessee, began her application for the Tennessee Supreme Court with a lawsuit. At the time, the seat was open only to applicants from the eastern part of the state.
Lee recollected several instances in her career where her male counterparts did not treat her as an equal. As a young lawyer, she ignored the comments, but she is now proud of the women who stand up for themselves.
White noted that she was the first justice not reelected in a Tennessee Supreme Court retention election, a hard loss for her. She found a new path as a professor and director of the Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution at the University of Tennessee College of Law.
Students gathered in Swang Chapel to hear a history-making discussion including all six women who have been appointed to Tennessee's Supreme Court.
“Let’s hope that the legal profession continues to mount challenges,” said White, who has seen prejudice take many forms as a professor.
The justices also shared what helped them overcome these barriers. Kirby acknowledged the importance of mentorship and urged students to search for mentors in many different forms.
“Remember, there are good men out there, and they will support you,” she said.
Other points of discussion included work-life balance, the difference in the suffrage movements for white and black women, and the changes they hope to see in the future.
“It’s not perfect and more needs to be done, but I look around here and see that progress has been made,” said Daughtrey.
Lipscomb University’s Fred D. Gray Institute for Law, Justice & Society, housed in the College of Leadership & Public Service, is committed to convening conversations about issues that are significant to our community.
Over the past three years, the institute has convened community discussions on transit, offered free legal clinics and a law camp for local high school students and educated graduate and undergraduate students to serve the needs of our diverse, growing community. Additionally, the college has led citywide conversations about equity and race in support of a mayoral initiative, and continues to lead key entities in the city and state through difficult cultural and organizational issues.