Chief Justice Birch
Adolpho A. Birch, Jr. (September 22, 1932 – August 25, 2011), Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Tennessee, from October 1994 to August 2001, portrait sculpture by artist Zenos Frudakis. American lawyer and judge, A. A. Birch, Jr. was the first African American to serve as Chief Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court.
A. A. Birch, Jr. received numerous awards, including the National Bar Association’s William H. Hastie Award in 1995. The international Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity honored him with its Barbara Jordan Award, the fraternity's highest honor. In 2010, the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee recognized Birch with a Lifetime Achievement Award, citing his "enduring commitment to equality and justice" and calling him a "beacon for equality" in Tennessee.
The A. A. Birch Criminal Justice Building in downtown Nashville, completed in 2006 to house Davidson County Criminal Courts, was dedicated in his honor in June 2006. The portrait bust of Chief Justice Birch, sculpted by Zenos Frudakis, is displayed in the entrance of the Tennessee Supreme Court Building in Nashville.
Portrait Sculpture
Size: Life size
Media: Bronze
Installed: 2007
Location: Supreme Court of Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee
Collections: Supreme Court of Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee
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