Mary L. Wagner was officially sworn in as a Tennessee Supreme Court justice by Governor Bill Lee this week.
Lee appointed Wagner to serve on the Tennessee Supreme Court earlier this year after Justice Roger A. Page announced his retirement from the bench.
Honored to celebrate TN Supreme Court Justice Mary Wagner & administer her oath of office in Memphis.
I have full confidence Mary will serve Tennesseans with integrity on the State’s highest court, & I commend her continued dedication to the Volunteer State. pic.twitter.com/bTxEUIqGiK
— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) September 9, 2024
Wagner, who served as a Shelby County Circuit Court judge then, was confirmed by the Tennessee House of Representatives by a 94-4 vote and the Tennessee Senate by a 32-0 vote in March to serve on the state’s highest court.
“Justice Wagner is highly qualified and brings significant experience to the Tennessee Supreme Court,” the governor said in a statement. “Her understanding and respect for the rule of law and commitment to the conservative principles of judicial restraint make her well-suited for the state’s highest court, and I am proud to celebrate her investiture.”
Wagner’s term on the Tennessee Supreme Court officially began on September 1, 2024.
Chief Justice Holly Kirby spoke highly of Wagner after being sworn into the state Supreme Court, calling the newest justice “tested and ready.”
“After Governor Lee appointed Judge Wagner to be Justice Wagner, I attended events in Memphis honoring her,” Kirby said. “Lawyers of all stripes were thrilled for Judge Wagner but sad to be losing her from the trial bench. The consistent comment that I heard, over and over, was that Judge Wagner was never perceived as a plaintiff’s judge or a defendant’s judge. The lawyers told me that she approached each case impartially, looked objectively at the facts, did her best to discern the law, and then applied it to reach the result the law required. As a judge, there can be no higher praise than that.”
“Mary Wagner is tested and ready. She will be an excellent Justice on our State’s highest court,” Kirby added.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti also applauded Wagner following the investiture ceremony, where she was sworn in by the governor. He said his office is “excited” to celebrate Wagner’s elevation to the Tennessee Supreme Court.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Bill Lee and Mary Wagner” by Bill Lee.
