Reflections from the Bench

Photo from left: Joy, Julia, Don, Rita, Hugh, Taylor

By Hon. Don Ash

When I used the term “judicial family” during my career, I was always referring to the men and women in the Tennessee judiciary, present and past. It has been a blessing to share my work life with so many quality people. I am a better

By the late Judge Dennis Challeen

Back in the ’60s and ’70s, the liberals were in charge of corrections, and a lot of money was spent on rehabilitation programs. Almost everything was tried, from teaching job skills, enhancing self-esteem, hugs and warm fuzzies and poetry to intense probation.

By Hon. David J. Dreyer

My name is Dave and I’m an incivility-holic.

Hi, Dave!

I don’t know where to begin.

I didn’t want to become uncivil, it just kind of happened, I guess. I grew up in an uncivil family. My parents would stay up late at night, both of them as uncivil as a skunk. We kids learned to fend for ourselves.

By Hon. Don Ash

This September I will have served on the bench for 25 years. I have presided over divorce trials, medical malpractice lawsuits, sat on appellate panels, and been involved in numerous murder trials, including two death penalty cases. I was honored to be elected president of the Tennessee Judicial Conference in 2001, and I have served as a

A new book, The Chief Justices, by former Chicago Bar Association President Dan Cotter profiles the 17 men who have held the title Chief Justice of the United States. In this second of two excerpts (Part I can be read here), we learn about Taney’s tenure as chief and his legacy.

The Taney Court

When Taney began

Chief Justice John Marshall, the nation’s fourth, served thirty-four and a half years in that role. Roger B. Taney, who succeeded Marshall, served for twenty-eight and a half years. The two are the first and second longest serving chief justices. Taney’s tenure would be marked by continued national struggles over the institution of slavery, and his Court’s decision in Dred