Editorial
Front Page - Friday, January 15, 2010
Supreme Court unveils portrait of Justice William BarkerBy David Laprad
David Laprad
On Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010, the Supreme Court of Tennessee unveiled a portrait of Retired Justice William Barker during a ceremonial session at the Hamilton County Court House. Present at the “august occasion,” as Judge Joseph Tipton of the Court of Criminal Appeals called it, were family members, friends and colleagues from Justice Barker’s illustrious legal and judicial career. The painting, by renowned portrait artist Ned Bittinger, will hang in the Tennessee Supreme Court building in Knoxville.
If by “august occasion,” Tipton meant a gathering that entailed more roasting of Barker than grand words about his time on the bench, his assessment was correct.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Janice Holder got the ball – and the room – rolling with a brief history of the events leading to the creation of the portrait. “Almost since the day I met Justice Barker, he let it be known he wanted a portrait,” she said. “He told us, whenever the topic came up, and sometimes when it didn’t, he wanted a portrait in a courthouse, preferably the Supreme Court. Mickey, you’ve got your portrait.”
“Thank you too much,” Barker said from his seat in the courtroom, stirring up even more laughter.
Judge Charles Susano Jr. of the Tennessee Court of Appeals, on which Barker served in the ’90s, was next. “This is a wonderful affair, and it’s well-deserved given the many accomplishments and traits of Justice Barker,” he said. “Besides his distinguished judicial career, that trait that will always be uppermost in my mind is his humor. When this man walks into a room, the light goes on, and within seconds, he’s telling stories and you’re laughing.”
Tipton took the ball from Susano and ran with it during his comments, saying, “Going back to what Judge Susano said about Justice Barker’s humor, when I served with Justice Barker, I did laugh at many of his opinions. Unfortunately, when he became a justice of the Supreme Court, I cried at a few, too.”
Once the laughter died down, Tipton got serious, saying, “You are humorous, but you’re also smart and you have a quick grasp of the law that we
(at the Criminal Court of Appeals) appreciated. We miss you sorely.”
Tipton then changed gears again, saying, “But I am wondering if we’re going to have the real you in the portrait or a stylized version we can all like.”
Supreme Court Justice Gary Wade mixed humor with substantive material as he related an embellished version of the conversation that took place between him and Lynda M. Hood, executive director of the Chattanooga Bar Association, when she called to ask him to speak. “‘You used to practice a little criminal defense, so you should be able to say something good about anybody,’” Wade said, ostensibly quoting Hood. “I said, ‘What would I talk about? All of his achievements in the law, his service to the state, his contributions to his community, his Rotary Club activities and how generous he is with his money?’”
Wade ended his speech with a famous quote, saying, “Life is like a box of chocolates: You never know what you’re going to get. And come to think of it, that pretty much sums up the career of Mickey Barker, an accomplished lawyer, a legal scholar, a remarkable judge, a strong leader, a dear friend and a great Tennessean.”
T. Maxfield Bahner of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel had the honor of introducing the retired judge. “The development of the law since the 12th century has always interested me because that was when lawyers first became a professional class. And the reason people turn to the legal system is because we have lawyers and judges they respect. The reason our legal system works is because of men like Mickey Barker, who since his early days as a practitioner was a person in whom people could have confidence.
“To do what Mickey Barker has done with his life requires a wife like Cathy, self-discipline, hard work and dedication to the noblest and highest ideals. We’re fortunate this son of Hamilton County gave himself so selflessly as a lawyer and a judge, and we’re thankful for his rich and consummate sense of humor.”
True to form, Barker got the laughter going again when he offered his comments. “I asked these people to make it light. I didn’t realize it was going to be this light, though. There ought to be a little dignity, but I guess not,” he said. “Seriously, this has been a great occasion. It was exactly the kind of program I wanted.”
Then, turning to Holder, he said, “Janice, I hope you get a portrait someday. You need to start working on it early.”
Barker then called upon Tennessee Appellate Court Clerk Michael Catalano to unveil the portrait. As Catalano pulled the cover off the painting, those in attendance gave it a favorable reception, applauding at length at the work of Bittinger, who has done portraits of such dignitaries as former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and James Baker III.
Barker began his service in the Tennessee Judicial System in 1983, when Gov. Lamar Alexander appointed him to the Circuit Court of the 11th Judicial District of Tennessee. He was elected to two eight-year terms, during which he was the highest rated circuit court judge on the CBA’s bi-annual polls. In 1995, Barker was appointed to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals; in 1996, voters elected to keep him there.
Gov. Don Sundquist appointed Barker to the Tennessee Supreme Court in 1998, after which voters elected him to an eight-year term. In 2005, his colleagues on the Supreme Court unanimously elected him chief justice. Following his retirement from the Supreme Court in September 2008, Justice Barker became “of counsel” at Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, where he engages in an alternative dispute resolution practice.
A native of Chattanooga, Barker graduated from Chattanooga High School, received his undergraduate degree from the University of Chattanooga and attended the University of Cincinnati School of Law on a Benwood Foundation Scholarship. After law school, he served as a captain in the United States Army Medical Service Corp. In 1969, Barker began practicing law at Dietzen, Dietzen & Barker, where he remained until 1983.
Barker has chaired the Tennessee Judicial Council, the Tennessee Code Commission, the Supreme Court Building Commission and the State Law Library Commission. He has served as president of the Chattanooga Trial Lawyers Association and as a member of the Board of Governors of the Chattanooga Bar Association. In 1987 and 1998, Barker was elected to the Tennessee Bar Foundation and the Chattanooga Bar Foundation, respectively. He’s also held membership in the American Law Institute. At the time of his retirement, he was serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Conference of Chief Justices and was the chair of the Problem Solving Courts Committee. He’s the president-elect of the Tennessee Supreme Court Historical Society.
From 1984 until 2002, Barker was on the adjunct faculty of the department of political science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. In 2000, the Student Government Association named him Outstanding Adjunct Professor. Barker is a member of the board of trustees of the University of Chattanooga Foundation. He has lectured on the subject of legal ethics at legal seminars in Tennessee, other states and Central Europe.
Justice Barker is a member of the board of directors of the Chattanooga Rotary Club. He’s also a ruling elder at First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga and a past chairman of its board of deacons. In addition, Barker taught Sunday school at his church for 18 years.
He’s married to the former Catherine Elton. They are the parents of three adult children, John, David and Martha, and have seven grandchildren.
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