Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Cornelia A. Clark is the 2022 posthumous recipient of the Nashville Bar Foundation’s David Rutherford Award. The award was presented at the Foundation’s Annual Fellows Dinner on April 22.
The David Rutherford Award is given to a Fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation who exemplifies the memory and ideas of David Rutherford, which include professionalism, charitable contributions in the legal field and in the community as a whole, and the spirit of collegiality among the bench and bar.
Justice Sharon G. Lee accepted the award on Justice Clark’s behalf. In her remarks, Justice Lee recognized Justice Clark’s devotion to her faith, her family, her community, and the rule of law. Justice Clark was an outstanding jurist, a leader in promoting Access to Justice, the consummate professional, and supporter of women and equality. Justice Lee described Justice Clark as a “peacemaker” because of her ability to bring people together to arrive at a consensus decision. Justice Clark’s sister, Cathy Perry, and her nephews, Matt Perry, Brad Perry and wife, Stacey Perry, attended the dinner.
According to the Nashville Bar Association website, Foundation Fellows are selected by their colleagues, and each class of Fellows is comprised of approximately two percent of the Nashville Bar Association membership. The objective of the Nashville Bar Foundation is to raise an endowment that will allow the Foundation to have an impact on initiatives in the Nashville legal community.
Justice Clark passed away on September 24, 2021, following a short battle with cancer. She was 71 years old.
