Honoring the Legacy of Tennessee's First Female Chief Justice
When Janice Holder walked into Duquesne University Kline School of Law, it wasn't with a grand plan or a long-held dream of becoming a judge. It started, as she says, almost by accident.
"I wasn't drawn to the field of law. I applied to one law school, and I got accepted, so I decided I would just try it for a year," she recalled. "In law school, I didn't always feel like I fit. I wasn't polished, I didn't come from a line of attorneys, but I worked hard."
As she settled into the routine of her classes, that hard work soon began to pay off.
"I never expected to like it, but once I got in the classroom, something just clicked. I liked the thinking behind it. The structure. The challenge."
After graduating, Judge Holder dove headfirst into the profession. She began her career as a clerk for Chief Judge Herbert P. Sorg on the United States District Court of the Western District of Pennsylvania. During her time with the Chief Judge, she absorbed as much as she could about the decorum and practice of being a United States District Judge until her clerkship ended in 1979.
"My first job was in private practice. I liked the puzzle-solving part of it, but I didn't love the adversarial nature. I eventually realized I was more interested in fairness than in winning. That's when I started thinking seriously about the judiciary."
By the mid-80s, Judge Holder moved to Memphis to escape the harsh Pennsylvania winters. While at first she had difficulty finding work, Judge Holder practiced with local law firms and eventually opened a private practice as a solo practitioner. She went back and forth between law firms and private practice until 1990, when an amazing opportunity presented itself. A seat had opened on the bench for the Circuit Court Judge, Division II, Thirtieth Judicial District, and despite having no political connections in Memphis, Judge Holder decided to run for election. With a nomination from the governor and a majority vote from her peers, Judge Holder was officially appointed to the Tennessee Supreme Court.
"After I'd been in Memphis for about ten years, I just decided I was going to do it, and I had wonderful people behind me," she said. "That was one of those improbable journeys that at the very end, when I won the election, I'm still continually amazed when I think about it."
Throughout her time on the bench, Judge Holder became known for her clear reasoning and commitment to ensuring fairness in the legal process. Her diligence culminated in 1996, when she was appointed to the Tennessee Supreme Court. While the transition from the Circuit Court to the Tennessee Supreme Court was difficult, Judge Holder continued her advocacy work. She played a large part in creating the Access to Justice Commission for the Tennessee Supreme Court, where she promoted unique ways to administer services to individuals who needed legal counsel but had little to no access. She also created the Tennessee Lawyers Assistance Program to help people in the legal profession with mental health and substance abuse struggles. Other states have since created similar programs using Judge Holder's model as the gold standard.
In 2008, Judge Holder became the first woman to serve as Chief Justice on the Tennessee Supreme Court. Her appointment paved the way for more women to be appointed to high positions within the court system and served as an inspiration for many other up-and-coming women in the field. She served as Chief Justice until 2010, and by that time, the Tennessee Supreme Court had a majority of women serving for the first time in history.
Beyond her work on the court, Judge Holder has made a lasting impact through her deep ties to the Memphis legal community and the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.
"The Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law is an incredible resource for this area," she said. "It just feels like one of my schools. I didn't graduate from here, but I've been involved in so many ways."
Judge Holder regularly visits campus to mentor students, speak on panels and serve on advisory boards. That sense of personal responsibility is something she works to instill in the next generation of lawyers. "My goal is to help law students here reach their full potential. Every little bit I can do helps somebody at the University."
Judge Holder's impact can be felt not only in court records, but in the lives of students, legal professionals and community members who have looked to her as an example of strong leadership. "The only thing you have in this profession is your credibility and your good name," she said. "For me, it's all about doing the best you can with what you're doing. If you give it your best, then you have no regrets."
From uncertain law student to the state's highest judicial office, her story is a reminder of what it means to lead with honesty and purpose.
