Hero. Down to earth. Humble. Trailblazer. Encourager. Courageous. Friend.
Those were some of the words used to describe Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon G. Lee at her portrait unveiling at the Knoxville Supreme Court Building on August 24. The event, sponsored by the Knoxville Bar Association and East Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women, was held as Justice Lee approaches her retirement from the Court on August 31.
“I realized that the best thing about meeting your heroes is that sometimes they're not only brilliant lawyers, brilliant judges, judges whose dissents I have quoted from many times, in addition to the majority opinions she has authored, but are people who truly lead with a servant’s heart,” Loretta Cravens of the Knoxville Bar Association said. “That's the lesson that I think that you have most imbued into our legal community. You have served lawyers, litigants, the cause of justice and the development of the law in Tennessee. You have been as down to earth a human being as I have ever met when I had no right to ask for your time and I've seen many, many others, probably most of the people in this room, have similar experiences.”
Justice Lee first joined the Supreme Court in 2008 and is the Court’s longest serving justice. She was a judge on the Court of Appeals from 2004-2008 and was the first female Court of Appeals judge from the Eastern Section. Her appointment to the Supreme Court created the Court’s first female majority, which was maintained during her tenure as a justice. She served as chief justice from 2014 to 2016.
“In the last 103 years we've come from being a nation where women fought for the right to vote to a nation where more women vote in elections than men,” Celeste H. Herbert, a longtime friend, said. “A nation where women sit on the highest courts and where women serve in positions of leadership on the local, state and national levels. However, women cannot become complacent and we must continue to be vigilant about women's rights, civil rights and human rights.”
Justice Lee’s portrait, which was unveiled by her three grandchildren, is the first of a female justice to sit in any of the Tennessee Supreme Court’s courtrooms, located in Knoxville, Nashville, and Jackson.
“The portrait here is of me, but this is not about me,” Justice Lee said. “Anyone who entered this courtroom before today might look at these walls and think only men can be judges and justices. And it's time we change that message. I'm honored to have been the first woman from East Tennessee to serve as chief justice since our state was created in 1796. Somebody had to be first and I could not let this opportunity pass.”
Prior to becoming an appellate judge, Justice Lee practiced law in her hometown of Madisonville for 26 years. She represented individuals, businesses, Monroe County, the City of Madisonville, and the Town of Vonore. She also served as a city judge in Madisonville and the Tennessee Municipal Judges Conference has named its highest honor after her.
“Serving in the Tennessee judiciary has been the honor of a lifetime,” Justice Lee said. “As a small-town country lawyer, I never saw this as a possibility, but we live in a great state and country where things you can even dream about can become reality.”
While on the bench, Justice Lee has authored thousands of opinions, setting court precedent for generations to come. She was retained by Tennessee voters in 2010, 2014 and 2022.
“I know I always try to do my best and I have a clear conscience that I decided cases without fear or favor and did what I thought the law required,” she said. “You may not always have agreed with me, but I hope you were never disappointed in my effort. I believe we have the best legal system anywhere in the world. The rule of law which protects our rights and liberties must be preserved and dependent. And everyone who comes into any court deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. All are entitled to equal justice without regard to their ability to pay, their race, their gender, or any other characteristics. We must remain committed to ensuring that everyone has meaningful access to our system of justice.”
The portrait was created by Chicago artist Sergei V. Chernikov. Framing was done by The District Gallery and Framery in Knoxville.
To watch the full portrait ceremony, please visit the TNCourts YouTube page.
