Judges honor memory of deceased lawyers
Chancellor Nikki Cantrell, left, and Circuit Court Judge Don Elledge hang a plaque with the names of 49 deceased lawyers who worked in the Anderson County court system.
Monday Circuit Court Judges Don Layton, Don Elledge, Roger Miller, and Chancellor Nikki Cantrell, presented a plaque commemorating attorneys who worked within the justice system of Anderson County Courts, and who have died.
“We search every record we could, we enlisted County Historian Marry Harris, and we talked to everyone we could think of to make this list,” Judge Layton said.
“This is our initial effort to commemorate our brothers and sisters in the bar … People who have offered a legacy of community service,” Layton continued.
Layton said that everyone involved in the legal system, from clerks to law enforcement officers to public defenders and prosecutors, “Strive for the same thing: A safer community.”
Judge Elledge noted that when he first began his career in the courthouse he worked with many of the names listed on the plaque.
“You never think they are going to be gone,” Judge Elledge said.
The noon ceremony was not without a touch of humor. While displaying the plaque Judge Layton noted, “If we omitted anyone … Well, there’s still space on this for Judge Elledge and myself.”
The plaque is hung on the wall outside of Circuit Court on the third floor of the Anderson County Courthouse.
There are 49 names listed.
The plaque was paid for by the four judges.