Chief Justice A.A. Birch's Robes, 1996

Tennessee State Museum

Nashville, Middle Tennessee

Selected by Curator of Social History Tranae Chatman

Chief Justice Adolpho A. Birch, Jr. was the first Black Chief Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court. Earlier in his law career, he represented clients in civil rights cases in Nashville before serving in every level of the state judiciary. Listen to Tranae Chatman explain how Justice Birch utilized the democratic process and represents the ongoing, multigenerational journey to achieve fairness in the judicial system.