The Tennessee judiciary is mourning the loss of former Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice William “Mueke Barker, who died April 3, 2023, at the age of 81.
Barker was from Chattanooga and spent 25 years on the bench – 10 as a justice on the Tennessee Supreme Court.
He began his role in the Tennessee judiciary in 1983, when Gov. Lamar Alexander appointed him as an 11th judicial district circuit court judge. He was elected to two eight-year terms and was the highest rated circuit court judge in the Chattanooga Bar Association’s bi-annual polls.
“I’ve known Justice Barker since he was a trial judge in Hamilton County, and I always admired him as a judge,” says Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee. “After I was appointed to the Court of Appeals in 2004, he always encouraged and supported me.
“In the 2014 contested Supreme Court retention election, he was an effective spokesman for fair and impartial courts and was instrumental in our campaign against partisan politics in the judiciary.
“Justice Barker never forgot his roots. He was a straight-talker and he remained true to himself throughout his distinguished career. He also had a fantastic sense of humor. I admired him and will miss him.”
In 1995, Gov. Don Sundquist appointed Barker to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals; Tennessee voters retained him in August 1996.
In 1998, Sundquist appointed Barker to the Tennessee Supreme Court. In 2005, his colleagues unanimously chose him to become chief justice. Voters elected him to the Tennessee Supreme Court twice.
Barker retired Sept. 1, 2008, after a 25-year judicial career. After leaving the bench, he became a member of the litigation section at Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, from which he retired in 2021.
Barker was born in Chattanooga Sept. 13, 1941. He graduated from City High School in 1959 and previously had attended McCallie School.
Barker earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee – Chattanooga and his Juris Doctor from the University of Cincinnati School of Law in 1967.
He served in the United States Army Medical Service Corps from 1967 to 1969. After returning to Chattanooga, he joined the Deetsen Firm, which produced several other judges over the years.
Barker was a former president of the Chattanooga Trial Lawyers Association and a fellow of both the Chattanooga Bar Foundation and the Tennessee Bar Foundation.
His civic activities included membership in the Rotary Club and American Legion.
Barker is survived by his wife, Catherine, their three children and several grandchildren. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga.
Source: Tennessee Supreme Court