[5] Holder's interest in French stemmed from her grandmother who was born in France until she moved to Pennsylvania at age eight.
In 1979, she finished her job as a judicial clerk and made her way in the private practice of law in Pittsburgh.
It was a labor management relation case section 301 about fair representation, and the firm represented the plaintiff.
Holder was getting frostbite on a regular basis in Pittsburgh, and this prompted her to move south to Memphis, TN.
[3] After working at the Bachelor firm, Holder opened a private practice of law as a solo practitioner.
Having a knowledge of domestic relation cases helped Holder as a judge in the Division II Circuit Court.
[8][9] In Tennessee, circuit courts are under general jurisdiction meaning they hear both civil and criminal cases as well as appeals.
This leading project in Shelby County was intended to identify the usefulness of mediation, early neutral evaluation, and arbitration.
[6] In 1990, she was selected for the Memphis Bar Association Sam A Mayr Award due to her advocacy and service to the legal profession and broader community.
In 1992, Judge Holder received the Chancellor Charles A. Rond Award as an Outstanding Jurist on behalf of the Memphis Bar Association.
Judge Holder was a member of the National Conference of Chief Justices Mass Tort Litigation Committee in 1996.
[2] In 1990, Holder was elected to the position of Circuit Court Judge, Division II, Thirtieth Judicial District.
This district consists of Shelby County, Tennessee, and Division II deals primarily with civil cases.
In August 1998, having been recommended for retention under the process outlined in the Tennessee Plan, she was approved by the voters of the state for a full eight-year term.
[5] Janice M. Holder applied for the Tennessee Supreme Court in 1994 when Justice John Byers announced his retirement, but she did not get the spot on the bench.
Unaware that Tennessee Plan had already been implemented by the Special Supreme Court, Governor McWherter announced his appointment of Penny J.
[16] In light of the capital punishment campaign against White, Republican Governor Don Sundquist publicly promised before the retention election that he would not appoint someone to the judiciary unless he was sure that the nominee supported the death penalty.
Proceeding this declaration, the Tennessee Judicial Selection Commission decided to only review applicants from the Eastern Grand Division.
An appeal was filed with a reach down motion which gave the Tennessee Supreme Court the authority to rule on the case.
[3] After this struggle to be considered, Holder was eventually appointed to the Tennessee Supreme Court in 1996 by Governor Don Sundquist.
[3] Justice Holder stated that providing legal services to the indigent was the most satisfying work in her career.
[6] Holder describes many instances of gender discrimination working in the legal profession in her oral history with the Tennessee Bar foundation.
[14] Five of her more recent notable cases in which she authored the opinion include: In Rodriguez v. State, a Mexican citizen plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge.
This petition stated that the trial counsel did not adequately advise the petitioner about possible immigration consequences resulting from the guilty plea.
The Tennessee Supreme Court granted the petitioner the right to appeal, and the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that expunged guilty pleas after having completed judicial diversion is not a conviction that is subject to collateral review under the Post-Conviction Procedure Act.
The Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed the panel's conclusion in finding the attorney in violation of rules and that he was sanctionable for his conduct.
[24] Janice M. Holder is active in her community contributing to various organizations to expand access to justice in Tennessee.
[2] In American Combative Arts System, Holder has a sixth degree Black Belt, and she teaches children's karate classes.
[4] Introducing international visitors to the United States and its culture is a civic activity that Holder enjoys.
[2] Hirers in the legal and judicial professions in the late 20th century hired or appointed women as tokens to symbolize gender equality.