<BillNo> <Sponsor>
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 121
By Maberry
HJR0121
002901
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A RESOLUTION to honor the memory of Sarah Lee Best.
WHEREAS, it was with great sadness that the members of this General Assembly
learned of the untimely death of Sarah Lee Best; and
WHEREAS, a native of Clarksville, Ms. Best was an attorney with Wilkinson Stekloff Law
Firm in Washington, D.C.; and
WHEREAS, a gifted and dedicated student, Sarah Best graduated summa cum laude
with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Neuroscience and Classical Languages from Vanderbilt
University in 2013; and
WHEREAS, she then taught high school math and worked as an instructional coach in
her native Tennessee before entering law school; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Best graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania
Law School, where her former professors praise her as a brilliant student and a beloved
member of the school's community; and
WHEREAS, during her tenure in law school, Sarah Best was a senior editor of the
University of Pennsylvania Law Review, served on the board of Penn's Asian Pacific American
Law Student Association, interned for the U.S. Department of Education's Office of the General
Counsel, completed an externship with the Education Law Center, and worked in the
Transnational Legal Clinic, where she represented clients seeking asylum; and
WHEREAS, she also was inducted into the Order of the Coif, received the David Werner
Amram Prize and the Exceptional Pro Bono Service Award, and was named the Edwin R.
Keedy Cup Moot Court Winner and Best Oralist; and
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WHEREAS, through her school's Federal Appellate Litigation Externship, Ms. Best
argued a case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in which the district court's
judgment was vacated, resulting in a positive result for her client; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Best will be fondly remembered as "a brilliant, kind, and compassionate
soul who touched the lives of so many," and her memory will be treasured by the loved ones
and colleagues she has left behind; and
WHEREAS, Sarah Best brought light into many lives during her all-too-brief time on
earth, and her passing gives credence to the adage that only the best are taken from us at an
early age; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED
FOURTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY O F THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE
CONCURRING, that we honor the memory of Sarah Lee Best, reflecting upon her legacy of
acumen as an attorney, dedication as a scholar, and excellence as a human being.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we express our sympathy and extend our
condolences to Ms. Best's family and many friends.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared
for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear
without House or Senate designation.