TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on May 15, 2025

The winners of the Seventh Annual Federal Court Civics Essay Contest were honored at a celebration this week at the Howard H. Baker Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Knoxville. The first place winner was Gabriella D’Agostino, a freshman at Chuckey Doak High School in Afton. Marteze Simpson, a junior at Knox County’s Fulton High School, won second place. Third place went to Jefferson County High School junior Alexa Longmire. Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Suzanne H. Bauknight, U.S. Magistrate Judge Cynthia R. Wyrick and U.S. District Judge Katherine A. Crytzer were on hand to congratulate the students. The essay contest is sponsored by the court’s Civics and Outreach Committee and the Federal Bar Association chapters in Knoxville and Greeneville. This year’s contest asked students to consider the meaning of the term “reasonableness” as applied to the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition on unreasonable force by law enforcement. Read more from Chattanoogan.com.