SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 1421
By Yager
A RESOLUTION to honor the memory of Judge Seth Walker Norman of Nashville.
WHEREAS, it is fitting that the members of this General Assembly should honor the memory of those citizens who, through their extraordinary efforts, distinguished themselves as
community leaders of whom we can all be proud; and WHEREAS, one such noteworthy person was retired 20th Judicial District Judge Seth Walker Norman, a highly respected jurist who is often considered the father of the State's recovery court system; and WHEREAS, born on April 6, 1934, Judge Seth Norman was a Nashville native and the fourth of five children born to Jack and Carrie Norman; after attending John B. Ransom grade school, Judge Norman graduated from Duncan Preparatory School for Boys; and WHEREAS, shortly after enrolling at Vanderbilt University, he left college to enlist in the United States Air Force and served from 1953 to 1957, including service in the Korean War and missions in Southeast Asia; he was a navigator on B-29, C-47, C-119, C-118, B-26, C-54, SA-
16, and C-124 aircraft and traveled to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and he continued his service in the Tennessee Air National Guard until 1965; and WHEREAS, Judge Norman graduated from the Nashville School of Law and received his law license in 1962; while in law school, he worked as a deputy clerk in the Davidson County General Sessions Court Clerk's office; and WHEREAS, in 1960, Judge Seth Norman was elected president of the Davidson County Young Democrats and, soon afterward, was elected to the Tennessee House of
Representatives; he also served as a member of the Tennessee Democratic Executive Committee, as a delegate to the 1968 Democratic National Convention, and on the Democratic National Platform Committee; and SJR1421
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WHEREAS, Judge Norman was in private legal practice at the law office of Jack Norman, Sr., his father, for twenty-eight years and was elected to the bench as a criminal court judge in Nashville in 1990; and WHEREAS, in 1997, Judge Seth Norman established the groundbreaking Davidson County Drug Court (DC4), one of the first recovery courts in the country, and in 1998, the program started the first court-operated residential drug court in the United States; and WHEREAS, DC4 is known for its unique community approach to treatment; at DC4,
residents are immersed into a therapeutic residential community designed to allow participants to fully engage with specialized treatment in a supervised and structured environment; and WHEREAS, he also founded the 13th Judicial District Recovery Court in 2011 and the Morgan County Residential Recovery Court in 2013; today, there are eighty-two recovery courts in Tennessee, including several specialized courts focused on veterans, juveniles, and other special populations; and WHEREAS, Judge Norman served in a number of different capacities on government committees and councils over the years, including the U.S. Department of Education's Advisory Committee on Safe and Drug Free Schools and Governor Phil Bredesen's Criminal Justice Coordinating Council; and WHEREAS, after a long and distinguished judicial career, Judge Seth Norman took a well-deserved retirement from the bench in 2018; and WHEREAS, he was granted a number of awards and honors, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Tennessee Association of Alcohol, Drug, and other Addiction Services, his 2018 induction into the Nashville Bar Foundation, the Nashville Bar Association's Jack Norman Award in 2016, the Tennessee Association of Drug Court Professionals Judges'
Award in 2015, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Nashville Prevention Partnership in
2011; and
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WHEREAS, Judge Norman demonstrated his dedication to brotherhood, compassion,
and service to others as a member of the Corinthian Masonic Lodge, Scottish Rite, and the Al
Menah Shriners; and WHEREAS, he was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Donnie Creighton Norman;
his parents; and his brothers, Robert Sneed Norman, Jack Norman, Jr., and Julian Norman; and WHEREAS, left to cherish his memory are his children, Jay Norman, Frances Norman Scott, and Jack (Kerry) Norman; grandchildren, Seth Thomas (Andrea) Norman, Jason Walker Norman, Ross McMillan Scott, Carrie McClain Norman (Brandon) Lamb, Jackson (Whitnie)
Norman, William Dylan Norman, and Jenni Grace Norman; great-grandchildren, Olivia Emerson, Laurel Grace, Jack, Jett, Josie, Hayes, Layla, and Marlow; and sister, Carolyn Norman Tune; and WHEREAS, Judge Seth Norman leaves behind an indelible legacy of integrity and probity in public life, compassion and loyalty in private life, and diligence and dedication in all his chosen endeavors; and WHEREAS, it is fitting that we should remember the bountiful life of this exceptional public servant and human being; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, that we honor the memory of Judge Seth Walker Norman, reflecting fondly upon his impeccable character, his extraordinary contributions to the people of Tennessee, and his stalwart commitment to living the examined life with courage and conviction.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear without House or Senate designation.
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