Dwight E. Tarwater

Dwight Edward Tarwater (born April 28, 1955) is an American lawyer from Tennessee who has served as a justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court since September 2023.

Dwight E. Tarwater
Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court
Assumed office
September 1, 2023
Appointed byBill Lee
Preceded bySharon G. Lee
Personal details
Born
Dwight Edward Tarwater

(1955-04-28) April 28, 1955
Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Tennessee (BA, JD)

Early life and education

Tarwater was born on April 28, 1955, in Knoxville, Tennessee. He received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Tennessee in 1977 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1980.[1]

Career

Tarwater served as a law clerk to Judge Houston M. Goddard of the Tennessee Court of Appeals.[2] From 1980 to 1984, he was an associate with Egerton, McFee, Armistead and Davis, he later became partner in 1984 and remained partner until 1987.[3] He was a founding member of the firm Paine, Tarwater and Bickers in 1987. In 2014, Tarwater was asked to serve as general counsel to Governor Bill Haslam in his final term. Tarwater returned to his firm in 2019,[2] and served until 2023 when he was appointed to the Tennessee Supreme Court.

Tennessee Supreme Court

In January 2023, Tarwater was one of three candidates suggested to the governor.[4] On February 2, 2023, Governor Bill Lee nominated Tarwater to serve as a justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court to fill the vacancy left by the upcoming retirement of Justice Sharon G. Lee on August 31, 2023.[5] On March 9, 2023, his nomination was confirmed by the Tennessee General Assembly. His term began on September 1, 2023.[6][7]

References
  1. "Dwight Edward Tarwater Profile | Knoxville, TN Lawyer | Martindale.com". www.martindale.com. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  2. "Dwight E. Tarwater". www.painetarwater.com. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  3. "Application for Nomination to Judicial Office" (PDF). The Governor's Council for Judicial Appointments. November 8, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  4. Shoup, Craig (January 4, 2023). "Gov. Bill Lee to choose between three for next Tennessee Supreme Court justice". The Tennessean. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  5. "Gov. Lee Names Tennessee Supreme Court, Court of Criminal Appeals Appointees" (Press release). Nashville, Tennessee: Office of the Governor. February 2, 2023.
  6. "Tarwater Confirmed As Tennessee Supreme Court Justice". tncourts.gov. March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  7. North, John (March 9, 2023). "TN lawmakers confirm Dwight Tarwater as next Supreme Court justice". wbir.com. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
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