Press Releases

Press Releases

Judge Susano to Receive TBA’s Drowota Award

Posted by: Katharine Heriges on Jun 16, 2017

Knoxville Judge Honored for Work Supporting Juveniles, Disabled Rights

NASHVILLE, June 13, 2017 — Knoxville Judge Charles D. Susano will be honored this week with the prestigious Justice Frank F. Drowota III Award. Susano was selected for his many years of service on the courts – he has served on the Court of Appeals since 1994, and until 2015 was Chief Judge – as well as for his advocacy. A paraplegic since 1992, Susano also has been a champion of rights for disabled individuals, and has been a major supporter of the youths in residence at Knox County Juvenile Court.
 
“He’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing,” said TBA Vice President-Elect and former Susano law partner Sarah Sheppeard. “Judge Susano has given, and continues to give, so much to the judiciary, the legal system and his community. He embodies all of the qualities the Drowota Award seeks to honor. I cannot think of a more worthy recipient.”
 
Susano graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in 1958 and from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1963. He served in the U.S. Army from 1958 to 1960. Prior to his appointment to the courts, he practiced law in Knoxville for three decades. 
 
Susano will accept the award during the Tennessee Bar Association’s Lawyers Luncheon on June 16 at its annual convention in Kingsport.
 
The Drowota 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, the legal system and the administration of justice as exemplified by the career of former Supreme Court Justice Frank F. Drowota III – the award’s first recipient. Thanks to a donation by Justice Drowota and a matching gift from the Frist Foundation, the award allows the recipient to direct a gift of $1,000 to the charity of his or her choice.