A public affairs reporting class from UT's School of Journalism and Electronic Media visited the Howard H. Baker Jr. U.S. District Courthouse on April 22 as part of a study on courts and had the rare opportunity of meeting with two federal judges.
The class was led by Frank R. Ahlgren Distinguished Lecturer Georgiana Vines, a retired associate editor for the Knoxville News Sentinel. The developing reporters first met with U.S. District Judge Thomas Phillips in his courtroom.
The judge gave the class a tour of his chambers and the jury room behind the courtroom. Afterward, he took the class to his office and then to his conference table where Phillips discussed the court and the appointment process of being selected by President Bush.
At the conference table, U.S. District Judge Thomas Varland also joined the group. He also was appointed by President Bush.
The class got a history lesson on the courthouse from Don Ferguson, retired chief deputy clerk and a former newsman. The courthouse in downtown Knoxville originally was constructed as the headquarters for Whittle Communications.