Judges of the First Judicial District appointed Ken Baldwin to serve as the District Attorney General Pro Tem on Tuesday to fill the vacancy created by the death of District Attorney Tony Clark.

On Tuesday at noon, Criminal Court Judges Stacy Street and Lisa Rice, Circuit Court Judges Jean Stanley and J. Eddie Lauderback, and Chancellor John C. Rambo held a special event to announce their appointment and swear Baldwin in as District Attorney General Pro Tem.

“The loss of Tony Clark was so sudden and so shocking that it has deeply impacted all of us, none more so than his assistants and staff, we understand what you have been going through these past few days, and especially his family,” Street said. “Unfortunately, our system of justice does not allow us a very long time to mourn. Courts continue to go on and on, so it becomes necessary for us to fill the position vacated by Tony’s death.”

Clark passed away on Sunday, March 25, at the age of 54. He was mid-way through his second eight-year term as District Attorney General for the First Judicial District, which is comprised of Carter, Johnson, Unicoi, and Washington Counties.

Street explained to those assembled — which included staff of Clark’s office as well as members of Clark’s family — that state law describes how a vacancy in the office of District Attorney is to be filled.

“Ultimately, this position will be filled by the voters of the First Judicial District as the Governor has now issued Writs of Election in all four counties for this office to be on the ballot in August 2018,” Street said. “Until that time the Governor has the power to make an appointment to this position, and until he does so, Tennessee law requires the judges of that district to appoint someone on a temporary basis to fill that seat, either until the Governor makes an appointment or until such time an election occurs.”

Street said he and his fellow judges began discussing the need for an appointment last week after learning of Clark’s death.

“We decided we were not going to do anything until the Governor gave us some direction,” Street said, adding on March 27 they received a letter from Governor Bill Haslam asking them to “expeditiously” appoint someone as District Attorney Pro Tem for the district.

“The judges convened last week when we received this letter, and at that time, out of respect for his family and for Tony we elected not to do anything until the services were over for Tony this past weekend and also in light of the Easter holiday,” Street said. “Also, we thought it was important to seek input and any comments his assistants or staff might have. Tony trusted you all, and we felt it was only fair to allow you to have some input into what this decision should be.”

Street said they set a deadline of 4 p.m. on Monday for the staff of the District Attorney’s Office to submit their comments. The judges then met at 4:30 to discuss the appointment.

“We reviewed the comments. We also reviewed the other factors, discussed all of the potential candidates, all of the potential issues that we are required to do so,” Street said. “The comments were unanimous, and after our discussion and deliberation, our decision was unanimous to appoint Mr. Ken Baldwin as the temporary District Attorney General Pro Tem for the First Judicial District.”

Baldwin has served continuously as an Assistant District Attorney since 1984 and during that tenure has worked in every courtroom in the district’s four counties and has worked in every facet of the District Attorney’s Office, Street said.

“Because of that, we find that he has the experience, reputation, and ethics to temporarily assume the constitutional and statutory responsibilities of the office of the District Attorney General,” Street said.

Before being sworn in, Baldwin spoke to those assembled and thanked them for their support, especially to members of Clark’s family who came to the ceremony.

“I’m absolutely humbled by the responsibility and the enormity of this job. I’ve watched District Attorneys for 35 years now. I know what a job it is. I know how hard it is. I watched Tony do it,” Baldwin said. “Tony sacrificed his time and his energy for all the people. For the people in his family, he sacrificed his time. For his staff, he sacrificed his time. For his job, he sacrificed his time. For his church, he sacrificed his time. The only person he didn’t take any time for was himself. We all know that.”

“Everybody who worked in Tony’s office knew what a sacrifice he made in doing his job and the sacrifices he made just to be a people person to everyone,” Baldwin said. “I don’t think we’ll meet another man like Tony Clark in our lifetime.”

Baldwin said he was accepting the appointment “in the spirit of Tony Clark and how he did his job” and he hoped he could do the job as well as Clark did.

With the appointment by the judges of the district, Baldwin will serve as District Attorney Pro Tem until after the election on August 2. Baldwin confirmed on Tuesday that he would be a candidate in that race.

While the ceremony on Tuesday was marked by sadness with the loss of Clark, there was also some laughter as a result of a comment by Baldwin.

“I’ve got to tell you, I never aspired to this job,” Baldwin said. “The only thing I ever wanted out of the legal profession was Judge Street’s job and Fred Lance’s hair. I’m not kidding about that. If you don’t understand that, you need to check out Fred Lance’s hair.”