The names of 213 Tennessee appellate court judges who served since 1796 when the state was founded are etched in gold on donated imported black marble plaques to be unveiled at a 2 p.m. public ceremony Dec. 12 at the Supreme Court Building in Nashville.
The Tennessee Supreme Court Historical Society and the Frist Foundation provided funds for the plaques, which were designed by state architect Mike Fitts and etched in Tennessee. The plaques will hang in the Hall of Justice, or foyer, at the Supreme Court Building, 401 7 th Ave. North.
The Historical Society, a non-profit organization created in 1995 by volunteers wanting to preserve the court's history, also has 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."
Courts included on the plaques are the Supreme Court, with 77 members from 1835 to the present; the Court of Appeals with 59 members from 1925 to the present; the Superior Court of Law and Equity, with 12 members, including Andrew Jackson, from 1796 to 1809; the Court of Errors and Appeals, with 13 judges from 1810 to 1835; the Court of Chancery Appeals, with 4 judges from 1895 to 1907; the Court of Civil Appeals, with 14 judges from 1907 to 1925; and the Court of Criminal Appeals, with 34 judges from 1967 to the present.
Campbell said nearly 40 former and present members of the three existing appellate courts - the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and Court of Criminal Appeals - will attend the ceremony.