Friends, family members, and colleagues of the Honorable Suzanne Bailey gathered in her former courtroom at Hamilton County Juvenile Court on Thursday, May 28 to unveil her portrait and to honor her for the contributions she made there. Although Judge Bailey could not be present, the memory of her more than 30 years of service to the children, families, and citizens of Hamilton County was strong in the minds of both those who spoke and those who listened.
Judge Bailey’s successor, Judge Robert Philyaw, presided over the standing-room only proceeding. He began by passing on Judge Bailey’s thanks to those present and to the sponsors who made the portrait possible through the Chattanooga Bar Foundation. He and Judge Bailey’s brother, the Honorable Jim Bailey, then unveiled the portrait, which received enthusiastic applause.
The portrait of Judge Bailey will be hung in Juvenile Court along with the paintings of her predecessors: Judge Dixie Smith, who served from 1971-1989; Judge Leo Britt, who served from 1966-1971; and Judge Burrell Barker, who served the court from its inception in 1945 until 1966.
Judge Philyaw then invited seven people who knew Judge Bailey either personally or through her work to provide remarks.
Misty Lay Harris, a lawyer who practiced in Judge Bailey’s courtroom, and who subsequently served as a magistrate under her, said the children and the families who came before Judge Bailey in court were “extremely important” to her. “She cared about each child. She wanted to protect them with every weapon in her arsenal but also rehabilitate them,” she said.
Harris also spoke highly of Judge Bailey’s impact on the lawyers who practiced in her court. “She set high expectations for me. I learned how to conduct myself in court, how to practice juvenile law, and how to analyze complex fact patterns,” she said. “She expected civility from the lawyers and the litigants, and set a serious tone in the courtroom while still showing she cared for the children and their families.”
Juvenile Court Administrator Sam Mairs echoed Harris’s comments by speaking of how Judge Bailey agonized over the decisions she made regarding many of the children who appeared in her court.
“I can’t tell you how many days all of us in administration would see her struggling with the decisions she’d have to make that day. On one hand, she’d fight to reconcile the law with what was in the best interest of the child, and on the other hand, she’d wrestle with balancing the needs of the community with the needs of the child,” Mairs said. “Those were things she wasn’t able to leave here. She took them home with her, and she paid a heavy price, which was evident in her health and in the many sacrifices she and her family made.”
Like Harris, Mairs also commended Judge Bailey for the impact she had on his career. “On more than one occasion, she told me I needed to get out if I wasn’t in this for the right reasons, or if I wasn’t in it all the way, because what we do here is too important for slackers,” he said.
Hamilton County Juvenile Court Clerk Gary Behler shared a few of the many stories one could tell from Judge Bailey’s career, including when he was working with the children of incarcerated parents at Bethel Bible Village.
“My first case was a young lady who requested the judge reconsider her decision to place her at Bethel. She had made [other] ... arrangements. But the child needed stability. She’d come from a horribly chaotic situation, and it was a good placement and an opportunity for her to begin to recover and thrive,” Behler said. “But Judge Bailey listened attentively, and then very kindly said to her that staying at Bethel was what was best for her. It wasn’t the decision she wanted to hear, but it was the decision that needed to be made.”
Behler also recalled Judge Bailey’s fervent pleas during subcommittee hearings when the Brian A vs. Haslam lawsuit stopped the placement of some level one group care. “She gave one of the most impassioned speeches I’ve heard about child welfare,” he said. “She told the legislature they were taking away choice at the local level, and that doing so was a disservice and an injustice.”
Longtime counsel for the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services Ray Neal called Judge Bailey “an outstanding judge” who never lost sight of the importance of mercy. “She was merciful to the children and families that came before her. She knew when to give someone a second chance and when not to,” he said. “She left this court and this county a better place.”
Magistrate Bruce Owens praised Judge Bailey’s ability to discern the truth in a case. “There are times when I’m uncertain who’s being truthful, and I have to make the best decision I can make,” he said. “Judge Bailey had a knack for being able to determine who was lying. She knew which questions would expose the inconsistencies and lies in people’s stories.”
Carol Anne Roberts, the longest serving volunteer member of the Foster Care Review Board, spoke of the lasting difference Judge Bailey made in the lives of many of the children who appeared before her. “I first came to her with a three-year-old child who’d been seriously abused,” she said. “She protected that child and all the other children I brought to her over the years. Now I’m at Chattanooga State, and many of the children that came here are now going to school, and I know they set foot on that campus and are a success because of her.”
Emotions regarding Judge Bailey’s retirement varied. Circuit Court Clerk Larry Henry said “it was a sad day when she told me she was going to retire,” while Mairs said he wasn’t sad “because I know how terribly happy she is doing what she’s doing now.”
Opinions on the portrait, however, were unanimously positive. Henry called it “a beautiful portrait ... that really captures Suzanne,” while Behler said (as he turned and smiled at Judge Philyaw). “It’s the best looking portrait in the room, and it looks like it will be for years to come.”
Judge Bailey grew up in Columbia, Tenn., and earned an undergraduate degree in history at Vanderbilt. When she started taking law classes at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1972, she was one of only a dozen women in a class of 160 freshmen. While at UT, she was the first woman elected president of the Student Bar Association.
Judge Bailey graduated from law school in 1975 and was admitted to the Tennessee Bar the same year. Although she intended to practice criminal law, one of her first cases involved juveniles. The experience touched a chord in her, and she asked to be placed on the appointment list at Juvenile Court.
Judge Bailey practiced law from 1975 to 1982, when Judge Smith appointed her to the bench as a judicial referee. Following his retirement, Judge Bailey was elected Juvenile Court Judge in 1990, making her the first woman to be elected judge in Hamilton County. She was re-elected without opposition in 1998 and 2006.
In May 2013, health reasons dictated Judge Bailey retire from a profession she loved.
During her law career, Judge Bailey was elected president of the Tennessee Juvenile and Family Court Judges, was appointed by Gov. Don Sundquist as a commissioner on the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, and was appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court to the Judicial Commission on Ethics. In addition, she served as a member of numerous committees and advisory boards of agencies and associations that deal with children and safety issues in Hamilton County.
Judge Bailey received abundant recognition for her work on the bench and in her community, including the McCann-Aberthany award for Outstanding Juvenile Court Judge in Tennessee and Girls Inc.’s Unbought and Unbossed Award. She was also named a Woman of Distinction by the American Lung Assoc., Public Citizen of the Year by the Southeast Tennessee Branch of the National Association of Social Workers, and Outstanding Hamilton County Woman by the Hamilton County Scholarship Program.
In another honor that will endure beyond her career, the Tennessee Juvenile Services Association established the Judge Suzanne Bailey Criminal Justice Scholarship at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Judge Bailey was a Fellow of the Chattanooga and Tennessee Bar Foundations.
In closing, Judge Bailey’s brother thanked those who spoke the many kind words. “I’m seven years older than Suzanne, so she’s my little sister, even though there’s never been anything little about her,” he said. “She always stood up for what she believed. Thank you for honoring my sister, and thank you for this wonderful portrait.”
To see more photos, pick up a copy of the Hamilton County Herald.
By David Laprad
Friends, family members, and colleagues of the Honorable Suzanne Bailey gathered in her former courtroom at Hamilton County Juvenile Court on Thursday, May 28 to unveil her portrait and to honor her for the contributions she made there. Although Judge Bailey could not be present, the memory of her more than 30 years of service to the children, families, and citizens of Hamilton County was strong in the minds of both those who spoke and those who listened.
Judge Bailey’s successor, Judge Robert Philyaw, presided over the standing-room only proceeding. He began by passing on Judge Bailey’s thanks to those present and to the sponsors who made the portrait possible through the Chattanooga Bar Foundation. He and Judge Bailey’s brother, the Honorable Jim Bailey, then unveiled the portrait, which received enthusiastic applause.
The portrait of Judge Bailey will be hung in Juvenile Court along with the paintings of her predecessors: Judge Dixie Smith, who served from 1971-1989; Judge Leo Britt, who served from 1966-1971; and Judge Burrell Barker, who served the court from its inception in 1945 until 1966.
Judge Philyaw then invited seven people who knew Judge Bailey either personally or through her work to provide remarks.
Misty Lay Harris, a lawyer who practiced in Judge Bailey’s courtroom, and who subsequently served as a magistrate under her, said the children and the families who came before Judge Bailey in court were “extremely important” to her. “She cared about each child. She wanted to protect them with every weapon in her arsenal but also rehabilitate them,” she said.
Harris also spoke highly of Judge Bailey’s impact on the lawyers who practiced in her court. “She set high expectations for me. I learned how to conduct myself in court, how to practice juvenile law, and how to analyze complex fact patterns,” she said. “She expected civility from the lawyers and the litigants, and set a serious tone in the courtroom while still showing she cared for the children and their families.”
Juvenile Court Administrator Sam Mairs echoed Harris’s comments by speaking of how Judge Bailey agonized over the decisions she made regarding many of the children who appeared in her court.
“I can’t tell you how many days all of us in administration would see her struggling with the decisions she’d have to make that day. On one hand, she’d fight to reconcile the law with what was in the best interest of the child, and on the other hand, she’d wrestle with balancing the needs of the community with the needs of the child,” Mairs said. “Those were things she wasn’t able to leave here. She took them home with her, and she paid a heavy price, which was evident in her health and in the many sacrifices she and her family made.”
Like Harris, Mairs also commended Judge Bailey for the impact she had on his career. “On more than one occasion, she told me I needed to get out if I wasn’t in this for the right reasons, or if I wasn’t in it all the way, because what we do here is too important for slackers,” he said.
Hamilton County Juvenile Court Clerk Gary Behler shared a few of the many stories one could tell from Judge Bailey’s career, including when he was working with the children of incarcerated parents at Bethel Bible Village.
“My first case was a young lady who requested the judge reconsider her decision to place her at Bethel. She had made [other] ... arrangements. But the child needed stability. She’d come from a horribly chaotic situation, and it was a good placement and an opportunity for her to begin to recover and thrive,” Behler said. “But Judge Bailey listened attentively, and then very kindly said to her that staying at Bethel was what was best for her. It wasn’t the decision she wanted to hear, but it was the decision that needed to be made.”
Behler also recalled Judge Bailey’s fervent pleas during subcommittee hearings when the Brian A vs. Haslam lawsuit stopped the placement of some level one group care. “She gave one of the most impassioned speeches I’ve heard about child welfare,” he said. “She told the legislature they were taking away choice at the local level, and that doing so was a disservice and an injustice.”
Longtime counsel for the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services Ray Neal called Judge Bailey “an outstanding judge” who never lost sight of the importance of mercy. “She was merciful to the children and families that came before her. She knew when to give someone a second chance and when not to,” he said. “She left this court and this county a better place.”
Magistrate Bruce Owens praised Judge Bailey’s ability to discern the truth in a case. “There are times when I’m uncertain who’s being truthful, and I have to make the best decision I can make,” he said. “Judge Bailey had a knack for being able to determine who was lying. She knew which questions would expose the inconsistencies and lies in people’s stories.”
Carol Anne Roberts, the longest serving volunteer member of the Foster Care Review Board, spoke of the lasting difference Judge Bailey made in the lives of many of the children who appeared before her. “I first came to her with a three-year-old child who’d been seriously abused,” she said. “She protected that child and all the other children I brought to her over the years. Now I’m at Chattanooga State, and many of the children that came here are now going to school, and I know they set foot on that campus and are a success because of her.”
Emotions regarding Judge Bailey’s retirement varied. Circuit Court Clerk Larry Henry said “it was a sad day when she told me she was going to retire,” while Mairs said he wasn’t sad “because I know how terribly happy she is doing what she’s doing now.”
Opinions on the portrait, however, were unanimously positive. Henry called it “a beautiful portrait ... that really captures Suzanne,” while Behler said (as he turned and smiled at Judge Philyaw). “It’s the best looking portrait in the room, and it looks like it will be for years to come.”
Judge Bailey grew up in Columbia, Tenn., and earned an undergraduate degree in history at Vanderbilt. When she started taking law classes at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1972, she was one of only a dozen women in a class of 160 freshmen. While at UT, she was the first woman elected president of the Student Bar Association.
Judge Bailey graduated from law school in 1975 and was admitted to the Tennessee Bar the same year. Although she intended to practice criminal law, one of her first cases involved juveniles. The experience touched a chord in her, and she asked to be placed on the appointment list at Juvenile Court.
Judge Bailey practiced law from 1975 to 1982, when Judge Smith appointed her to the bench as a judicial referee. Following his retirement, Judge Bailey was elected Juvenile Court Judge in 1990, making her the first woman to be elected judge in Hamilton County. She was re-elected without opposition in 1998 and 2006.
In May 2013, health reasons dictated Judge Bailey retire from a profession she loved.
During her law career, Judge Bailey was elected president of the Tennessee Juvenile and Family Court Judges, was appointed by Gov. Don Sundquist as a commissioner on the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, and was appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court to the Judicial Commission on Ethics. In addition, she served as a member of numerous committees and advisory boards of agencies and associations that deal with children and safety issues in Hamilton County.
Judge Bailey received abundant recognition for her work on the bench and in her community, including the McCann-Aberthany award for Outstanding Juvenile Court Judge in Tennessee and Girls Inc.’s Unbought and Unbossed Award. She was also named a Woman of Distinction by the American Lung Assoc., Public Citizen of the Year by the Southeast Tennessee Branch of the National Association of Social Workers, and Outstanding Hamilton County Woman by the Hamilton County Scholarship Program.
In another honor that will endure beyond her career, the Tennessee Juvenile Services Association established the Judge Suzanne Bailey Criminal Justice Scholarship at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Judge Bailey was a Fellow of the Chattanooga and Tennessee Bar Foundations.
In closing, Judge Bailey’s brother thanked those who spoke the many kind words. “I’m seven years older than Suzanne, so she’s my little sister, even though there’s never been anything little about her,” he said. “She always stood up for what she believed. Thank you for honoring my sister, and thank you for this wonderful portrait.” v