U.S. District Judge Pamela L. Reeves, who rose from humble beginnings in Southwest Virginia to become the first woman president of the Tennessee Bar Association and then Chief United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee, died today after a two-year battle with cancer.
Her illness was diagnosed in December 2018, but she had continued her judicial duties almost without interruption. She became the Chief Judge in April 2019, succeeding U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan.
Judge Reeves was nominated to the judgeship by President Obama on May 16, 2013, and was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 5, 2014. She began her tenure as an Eastern District judge on March 10, 2014.
She has received many awards over the years, the most recent being the University of Tennessee Distinguished Alumna Award, the highest award given by the university. The award recognizes a UT graduate who has attained extraordinary distinction and success in their field and whose achievements have brought credit to the university and benefit to the community.
Last year, the Knoxville Bar Association honored her with the 2019 Judicial Excellence Award, an award that is rarely given, and more recently she received the Tennessee Bar Association's first ever Professionalism Award.
Writing about her Judicial Excellence Award in the KBA publication DICTA, attorney William Vines said Judge Reeves is a "first person." He noted that she became the first female president
of the Tennessee Bar Association, the first female chair of the Knox County Election Commission, the first female president of the American Association of Mediators, the first female Article III
judge in the Eastern District of Tennessee, and finally, the first female Chief Judge of the Eastern District of Tennessee. He said, "Throughout all of those life experiences, all who know her would say she's one of the sweetest people we know."
Judge Reeves was the oldest of five sisters. The family lived in a four-room house in Grayson County, Virginia, and Judge Reeves would tell how it had no running water until she was 10 years old, recalling that she would go to a nearby creek to retrieve water for the household.
At her investiture ceremony in May 2014, her husband, Knoxville Law Director Charles Swanson, said, "Pam' s great exposure to the world around her was through her participation in 4-H, sponsored by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture."
"When Pam was only in the eighth grade, she went to a 4-H convention in Chicago," Mr. Swanson said. "I don't think she has ever recovered from that. The four H's in the 4-H organization stand for health, head, hands and heart. In my opinion, Pam is going to be a great judge, because she continues to adhere to the precepts she learned in her 4-H experience."
Judge Reeves received her undergraduate degree in history from the University of Tennessee and her law degree from the UT College of Law in 1976. She was the first in her family to attend college. Her four sisters also are college graduates.
Judge Reeves and her husband have a son, Reedy, and a daughter, Amanda, both graduates of the University of Virginia School of Law.
U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan issued the following statement:
"I am almost at a loss for words. Danni and I have lost a dear friend, and I have lost a valued colleague. Pam's contributions to the legal profession and our community were immense, and her service to the Eastern District as a judge and as chief judge was invaluable. Her courageous battle with cancer was a testament to her character and positive attitude, and she will be sorely missed by so many. Danni and I extend our deepest condolences to her husband Charles and her children, Reedy and Amanda. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have known Pam for so many years and to have worked alongside her as a fellow district judge in Knoxville. I will value that time and relationship so much going forward.
"I recently had the pleasure of nominating Chief Judge Reeves for the Tennessee Bar Association's Professionalism Award, a new award of the TBA presented for the first time ever to Judge Reeves in the spring of 2020. In my letter of nomination, I sought to capture in some small fashion Judge Reeves's role as a trailblazer, as a mentor, and as a leader of our district as chief judge. As I concluded in that nomination letter: 'Chief Judge Reeves's life and career have been one of dedication and pursuit of the highest standards and serve as an inspiration to countless lawyers, judges, and members of the community. Her wisdom, humbleness, and integrity do likewise."'
Senator Lamar Alexander said, “Pam Reeves had a lengthy and distinguished career as a lawyer and most recently as Chief Judge of the Eastern District of Tennessee. Her diligence and fairness as a lawyer and judge set an example for others, especially for women in the legal profession. I admired her and counted her as a friend. Honey and I send our sympathy and respect for her life to her family.”
Senator Marsha Blackburn said, “I am saddened to hear about the passing of Chief Judge Reeves. She was a fair and compassionate judge, and she will be greatly missed on the bench. I was grateful for her friendship and appreciated the professionalism she brought to the job. May she rest in peace.”
Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery said, “This is a sad day for Knoxville and our state. As coming days will show, Judge Pam Reeves had the well-deserved and widely held respect of lawyers, judges and community leaders in Tennessee for many years. She not only accomplished a lot against long odds, she did it with a grace and determination rarely seen. President Teddy Roosevelt said, ‘People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.’ Well, Judge Reeves knew a lot, but I never met anyone who thought she didn’t care. In fact, it was just the opposite. You saw her smile, compassion and energy in the first ten seconds of meeting her. We are profoundly sad in losing her.”