NASHVILLE, May 21, 2026 — Former Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Page will be honored next month with the Tennessee Bar Association’s (TBA) prestigious Justice Frank F. Drowota III Award. The award will be presented at the annual Lawyers Luncheon set for June 12 as part of the association’s Annual Convention in Knoxville.

Page’s path to the bench was an unusual one. Raised in Mifflin, a farming community in rural West Tennessee, he entered college as a pharmacy major at the University of Tennessee (UT) at Martin and was accepted into the UT College of Pharmacy in Memphis, which was a three-year program at the time. In the middle of the second year, he had a class on pharmacy law and realized that he actually wanted to be a lawyer. Page remains the only licensed pharmacist to have served on the Tennessee Supreme Court and one of just a handful of pharmacists-turned-justices in the country.

After several years in private practice in Atlanta and Jackson, and a stint in the attorney general’s (AG) office as an assistant AG, Page was elected in 1998 as circuit court judge for the 26th Judicial District covering Chester, Henderson and Madison counties. In 2011, Page was appointed by Gov. Bill Haslam to the Court of Criminal Appeals and was nominated to the Tennessee Supreme Court by Haslam in 2016. He was the first justice to go through the confirmation process under the new “Tennessee Plan,” which was ratified as a state constitutional amendment in 2014. In February 2016, the legislature voted to confirm Page’s nomination. After a little more than five years on the court, on Aug. 24, 2021, Page was elected to serve a two-year term as chief justice, marking the end of a nearly 30-year gap of chief justices from rural West Tennessee.

Nashville attorney Barry Howard, who nominated Page for the Drowota Award, praised his judicial service in the circuit court, saying Page worked to make the court more responsive to litigants: “Faced with a demanding docket, he worked collaboratively to bring the court’s caseload current, establishing a standard of efficiency that endured long after. He firmly believed that ‘when a litigant is in court and has to wait for six months or longer for a trial, that is not justice for anybody,’ and he lived that principle by running a disciplined, punctual courtroom and ensuring timely decisions.”

Beyond the performance of judicial duties, Howard also praised Page’s substantial and enduring contributions to public service and the legal system. A dedicated advocate for access to justice, “he consistently supported legal aid organizations, speaking whenever called upon and championing initiatives to assist underserved communities,” Howard said. Page also played a key role during his time on the bench in advancing resources for indigent defense, including efforts to increase compensation for court-appointed counsel and the creation of an appellate division within the public defender’s office to alleviate systemic burdens. He also worked “to expand access for self-represented litigants by promoting the availability of user-friendly forms and ensuring that pro se parties were treated with fairness, patience and respect in his courtroom,” according to Howard.

In his nomination submission, Howard concluded, “Throughout his career, Justice Page has embodied the highest ideals of the judiciary: independence, integrity, humility and a steadfast commitment to doing what is right — without regard to external pressures or personal consequence. He has consistently treated all who appear before him with respect and civility. His legacy is one of meaningful, lasting impact — on the courts he served, the lawyers and judges he mentored and the countless individuals who benefited from his fairness, compassion and dedication.”

In announcing this year’s recipient, TBA President Heidi Barcus said the association is honoring Page for his commitment to ensuring access to legal representation across the state. "The TBA is honored to recognize former Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Page for his 40-plus years of service to the Tennessee legal community. Throughout his time on the bench, Page has been a strong advocate for access to justice, especially in Tennessee’s rural counties, and has always handled the cases before him with humility and fairness, embodying the spirit of former Justice Frank Drowota."

The Justice Frank F. Drowota III Outstanding Judicial Service Award is given to a judge or judicial branch official of a federal, state or local court in Tennessee who has demonstrated extraordinary devotion and dedication to the improvement of the law, our legal system and the administration of justice as exemplified by the career of Justice Frank F. Drowota III. Learn more about the award and see past recipients on the TBA website.

A photo of Page is available on request.

The Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) is the largest professional association in Tennessee with nearly 14,000 members. Founded in 1881, the TBA represents the entire spectrum of the legal profession in Tennessee and beyond, and is dedicated to enhancing fellowship and professionalism among the members of Tennessee’s legal community.