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A resolution honoring the life of former Chancellor and Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge Richard H. Dinkins.
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WHEREAS, the Honorable Richard H. Dinkins passed away on October 1, 2023; and,
WHEREAS, Judge Dinkins was born in Nashville on August 30, 1952, when his father was pastor of First Baptist Church in East Nashville; and,
WHEREAS, Judge Dinkins attended Denison University in Granville, Ohio, and returned to Nashville to enroll at the Vanderbilt University Law School; and,
WHEREAS, Judge Dinkins clerked for the Honorable Avon N. Williams, Jr., while at Vanderbilt and first began his work on Kelley v. Metropolitan County Board of Education, a case which sought to end segregation in Nashville and Davidson County public schools; and,
WHEREAS, after graduating law school in 1977, Judge Dinkins worked tirelessly to advance civil rights in Nashville and Davidson County in private practice for more than twenty years; and,
WHEREAS, Judge Dinkins continued to represent the plaintiffs in Kelley, a case that forever changed Nashville and Davidson County public schools and was resolved through a final settlement in 1998; and,
WHEREAS, Judge Dinkins also served as a cooperating attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and a cooperating attorney for the Minority Business Enterprise Legal Defense and Educational Fund; and,
WHEREAS, after working as a partner of Williams and Dinkins and later as a member of Dodson, Parker, Dinkins, & Behm, P.C., Judge Dinkins was appointed in 2003 to serve as Chancellor for Part IV of the Davidson County Chancery Court; and,
WHEREAS, Governor Phil Bredesen appointed Judge Dinkins in 2008 to serve a judge in the Middle Section of the Tennessee Court of Appeals; and,
WHEREAS, Judge Dinkins authored hundreds of opinions and heard thousands of civil cases during his nearly twenty years on the bench; and,
WHEREAS, Judge Dinkins was known as a brilliant jurist, an exceptional writer, and a public servant with integrity beyond reproach; and,
WHEREAS, Judge Dinkins further supported the legal community through leadership roles in the Napier-Looby Bar Association, the Nashville Bar Association, the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, and the Tennessee Bar Association Foundation; and,
WHEREAS, Judge Dinkins was recognized for the Nelson C. Andrews Distinguished Service Award from the Nashville Public Education Foundation for his "fierce advocacy for civil rights in public education," his "exemplary commitment to service," and as "a pillar of civic leadership in Nashville.” He received the Freedom Fighter Medal from the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, and was awarded the William M. Leech Jr. Public Service Award from the Tennessee Bar Association; and,
WHEREAS, Judge Dinkins is survived by his children Lachanta Lampkin, Zuri Walker and Ian Dinkins; grandchildren Lariah Hayes and Kennedy Potter; son-in-law Dr. SL Lampkin; and brother Ken Dinkins, as well as a host of family and friends; and,
WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper that the Metropolitan Council honors the life of the Honorable Richard H. Dinkins and recognizes his immeasurable contributions to Nashville, Davidson County, and the state of Tennessee.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:
Section 1. That the Metropolitan Council hereby goes on record honoring the life of retired Chancellor and Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge Richard H. Dinkins.
Section 2. This Resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.