Chief Justice Frank F. Drowota, III, of Nashville has been re-elected by the Tennessee Supreme Court to a four-year term ending Aug. 31, 2006.
“I am honored to have been chosen by my colleagues to serve as chief justice,” he said. “I have the highest respect for their intellectual integrity, enthusiasm, work ethic and commitment to service. We have a great Supreme Court and I look forward to serving as chief justice because the members of this court work so well together. I hope to continue to lead the court in its commitment to remaining accessible and, in doing so, give the citizens of Tennessee a better understanding of the judicial system, and I hope, greater confidence in the courts. The present members of the court have been together for over four years, and in my 22 years on the Supreme Court, this is the most collegial and accessible court on which I have served.
"In carrying out the administrative responsibilities of chief justice, I look forward to continuing to work with the strong leadership and staff of the Administrative Office of the Courts as we attempt to modernize Tennessee’s court system to make it more responsive to the needs of all Tennesseans."
Drowota, 64, is the longest-serving member of the Tennessee Judicial Conference, which includes the state’s 178 trial and appellate judges. He was president of the conference in 1979-80. His judicial career started in 1970 when he was appointed by Gov. Buford Ellington to the Chancery Court of Davidson County. In 1974, Gov. Winfield Dunn appointed him to the state Court of Appeals where he remained until his 1980 election to the Supreme Court. He first served as chief justice of the Supreme Court in 1989-90 and was elected last year to fill the unexpired term of Justice Riley Anderson, who stepped down as chief justice, but remained on the court.
“I have served with 12 different justices over the past two decades and this is a very special court,” Drowota said. “It is the most diverse court in our state’s 200 year history. The diversity of ideas and points of view have made it exceptional and given us strength.”
Drowota is married to the former Claire Hooper. They have two children, Helen Drowota Close and Dr. Frank R. Drowota, and three grandchildren. He is active in legal and civic organizations, including having served on the boards of directors for the YMCA of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, Cumberland Museum & Science Center, the National Conference of Christians and Jews, Children’s House, Opportunity House, the Bill Wilkerson Speech and Hearing Center and the Disciples Divinity House. He has served as president of the Nashville Rotary Club and the Nashville area chapter of the American Red Cross. He is a trustee of Montgomery Bell Academy, where he attended school, the Dantzler Bond Ansley Fund and The Frist Foundation.
Drowota earned his undergraduate and law degrees at Vanderbilt University. He later served as a Naval officer aboard the aircraft carrier USS Shangri-la and was commanding officer for a local reserve unit. He retired after 27 years of active and reserve military service and is a member of the Naval Reserve Association. He is an Elder of Woodmont Christian Church, where his father was the church’s founding minister and served that congregation for 30 years before his retirement.