East Tennessee-born Sarah K. Campbell has been confirmed and taken the oath as the state's newest Supreme Court justice.
State lawmakers blessed Campbell's appointment Thursday in Nashville.
Campbell takes the seat of Justice Cornelia "Connie" Clark, who died in September at age 71. Five justices sit on the state high court.
“Sarah has created a truly remarkable and unique career focused almost exclusively on appellate work with a strong passion for public service,” Chief Justice Roger A. Page said in a news release. “The Court is thrilled to welcome her to the bench as a colleague. She is accomplished and determined, yet humble and personable, and I am sure she will serve the citizens of Tennessee well.”
Campbell has strong East Tennessee connections, something she takes pride in.
"The values I learned there shaped who I am today,” Campbell said in Thursday's prepared news release.
She was born in LaFollette with family in both Scott and Campbell counties. As a girl, her family moved to Rogersville, and she graduated from Cherokee High School.
Campbell excelled at the University of Tennessee, where she was honored as a Torchbearer among other measures of distinction. She received her law degree from Duke University School of Law.
She's been a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.
Her legal career has included stints at a Washington, D.C. firm and six years in the Tennessee Attorney General's Office. At the time of her nomination by Gov. Bill Lee to the court, she was associate solicitor general and special assistant to the attorney general.
A public investiture ceremony will be planned for the spring.
