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Public Outreach and Education - Recent Events
| Chief Judge Collier Speaks to Dalewood Middle School Students 05-20-2008 | | On May 20, 2008, Chief Judge Curtis L. Collier served as the guest speaker at the Promotional Ceremony at Dalewood Middle School. At the ceremony, 103 students graduated from the eighth grade, completing their middle school education. These students will be attending high school in the fall. In light of this, Judge Collier spoke about the changes students would experience in their transition from middle school to high school. He spoke of the additional freedom students would have to make choices for themselves, and how their choices - both good and bad - would resinate throughout their lives. Judge Collier discussed the importance of being leaders, rather than followers, and motivating themselves to pursue their potential, rather than allowing peer pressure to define who they are. Based upon the numerous accomplishments of the Dalewood Middle School eighth grade class of 2008, as recognized at the ceremony, it is clear these students have already made great strides in advancing their futures. The Court wishes these students continued success in their academic endeavors. |  | |
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| | District Judge Phillips Speaks to Journalism Students 04-22-2008 | | This class of UT journalism students, along with their instructor, got a rare opportunity on April 22 to view Judge
Phillips’s courtroom from his perspective--the bench. Judge Phillips spoke
with the students briefly in the courtroom, then gave the group a tour of the
fourth floor chambers area and was joined by Judge Varlan in the conference
room, where the two of them talked with the students and answered
their questions. The class instructor is Georgiana Vines, shown front left,
political columnist for the News Sentinel and the retired associate editor. |  | |
| | Chattanooga Court Holds Naturalization Ceremony 10-25-2007 | | On October 25, 2007, ninety-seven people from around the world, hailing from over twenty different countries, gathered at the Federal Courthouse in the Eastern District of Tennessee, Chattanooga. Those ninety-seven people left the courthouse as American citizens.
Chief Judge Curtis L. Collier commended the new Americans for having chosen to become United States citizens, and for demonstrating the tenacity required to earn that privilege. He spoke of the rights and freedoms shared by all Americans, and also of the responsibilities shared by all in supporting the country and its communities to maintain our experiment in freedom. Chief Judge Collier also spoke of the proud tradition of immigration in the United States, and the legacy past immigrants have passed onto all new citizens of America.
Lenore Levy echoed these sentiments in welcoming the new Americans on behalf of the Moccasin Bend Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and on behalf of all Americans. She spoke of the equal opportunity afforded in the United States, and the freedom for all Americans, old and new, to go as far as their strength and resolve will take them.
The Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps from Soddy Daisy High School and Sale Creek High School bared the flag of the United States of America during the ceremonies, and led attendants in the Pledge of Alliance. Kevin Higman of the Department of Homeland Security presented the citizenship applications to Chief Judge Collier, after which Cyndee Palmer administered the Oath of Alliance, the genesis for ninety-seven fellow Americans.
After the ceremony, the Chief John Ross Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution provided refreshments outside the courtroom, where friends and family gathered to congratulate and welcome America’s new citizens. It was a day ninety-seven American citizens, their families, and their friends will remember for the rest of their lives. |  | |
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| | District Judge Greer Speaks to Northeast State Technical Community College 09-30-2007 | | In a Constitution Week program, Judge Greer spoke on September 13 to about 200 students,
faculty and staff members at Northeast State Technical Community College. He discussed the developments in Sixth Amendment constitutional jurisprudence and reviewed a number of U. S. Supreme Court decisions of the last decade.
He said that trial by jury had become the dominate method of trial in England as early as the 13th century and noted that all 13 American colonies adopted some form of trial by jury, which was “very much a part of our heritage by the time of the American Revolution and was guaranteed in Article III of the Constitution for all criminal cases and in the Sixth Amendment as part of the 1791 Bill of Rights.”
Judge Greer told his audience of the discretion given to sentencing judges to impose a criminal sentence within a range of punishment both before and after implementation of the U. S . Sentencing Commission Guidelines that were required by Congress in the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984. He was asked about his approach to criminal sentencing, which he described as his
“most difficult and unpleasant task” as a federal judge.
Judge Greer also answered the group’s questions on such issues as prison overcrowding, Bureau of Prisons rehabilitation programs, mandatory minimum sentencing and a number of other topics. |
| | Chattanooga Court Hosts Constitution Day Event 09-17-2007 | | On September 17, 2007, the Chattanooga Division, with the assistance of the Federal Bar Association, hosted the first annual Constitution Day event for local high school students. Students from David Brainerd Christian School, Hixson High School, and Red Bank High School participated in the event. The event included an interactive speech by Chief Judge Curtis L. Collier focusing on the importance and perseverance of the Constitution, a lesson on the Bill of Rights by Magistrate Judge William Carter, as well as a student-oriented question and answer session structured much like a game-show, hosted by Magistrate Judge Susan Lee. The event concluded with refreshments during which the students mingled with several judges as well as court personnel. |  | |
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| | District Judge Thomas W. Phillips Speaks to Knoxville Police Academy 07-06-2007 | | Judge Phillips, speaking to new police officers fresh out of the Knoxville Police Academy on July 6, said, “Since you are entrusted with the responsibility of enforcing the law, you must, as much as humanly possible, obey the law at all times. You will be called upon to make very difficult decisions, and those decisions must be made in a matter of seconds. As a judge, I am frequently called upon to make very difficult decisions, but I have the luxury of thinking about, contemplating, and analyzing my decisions. Unfortunately, in many instances you will not have that luxury.” Judge Phillips told them that a part of their duties that they will “probably find distasteful” will be testifying in court, “because your actions will be questioned, analyzed, and scrutinized by courts and juries to determine if you made the right decision.” He said, “Giving testimony in court is as much a part of your job as is keeping the streets safe for the general public. It does no good whatsoever for you to make an arrest, even if the accused is guilty as homemade sin, if the accused is simply going to be able to walk away from the courtroom a free man because you violated his constitutional rights.” Judge Phillips also said, “I suspect that there will be times when you would rather have a root canal than have to face an aggressive defense counsel who is going to grill you unmercifully about a decision that you had to make in a split second. But it is all part of the process that we must participate in, and the system of justice only works if every single party does its very best to carry out its duties and responsibilities.” |  | |
| | Chief District Judge Collier Speaks to Chattanooga Civitan Club 06-29-2007 | | Chief District Judge Collier spoke Friday before the Chattanooga Civitan Club during their weekly meeting. His speech emphasized how important citizen participation is to the U.S. system of government, and how such participation was assumed and anticipated by the Founders, but how much such participation has fallen off in the last few generations. |  | |
| | Chattanooga Summer Associate Tour 06-06-2007 | | On June 6 the Chattanooga Division, with the assistance of the Federal Bar Association, hosted the second annual courthouse visit for summer clerks. The clerks, who have finished their first or second year of law school, represented thirteen law schools in ten states. They are serving summer clerkships in local law firms, federal court or state court. The visit included a talk by Magistrate Judge Lee highlighting the importance of ethics, civility and a sense of humor in the practice of law, a visit to Judge Collier's courtroom where a criminal trial was underway, and a tour of the federal building including the Clerk's office, the Marshal's office and the U. S. Courts Library. The event concluded with a luncheon, funded by the Bench and Bar Fund, during which the visitors participated in a panel discussion with Chief Judge Collier, Judge Mattice, Chief Bankruptcy Judge John Cook, Bankruptcy Judge Tom Stinnett, and Magistrate Judges Carter and Lee. |  | |
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