Litigation

Judicial Election Plan Advances in TN Senate

By Peter Hardin

A bill to require competitive election of appellate judges and state Supreme Court justices in Tennessee cleared the state Senate Judiciary Committee by a single vote.

Republican Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey stepped in to cast the tie-breaking vote and rescue the legislation. The bill would replace the existing merit system for the judges’ selection.

?It is clear that we need judicial reform in Tennessee,? Ramsey said, according to a Chattanooga Times Free Press article.

?I don?t necessarily think that electing judges is best for the state in the long term but the constitution is the constitution and the constitution clearly states that judges shall be elected.?

Defenders of the Tennessee Plan, as the merit system is called, contend it meets constitutional muster. They say that competitive elections would lead to special interest groups funding multimillion dollar political campaigns for the bench. You can learn more about the debate over merit selection in Tennessee from Gavel Grab.

Another supporter of merit selection is Republican Gov. Bill Haslam. He and allies contend the current system is a way to keep the courts operating while leaders propose changes to the constitution, the Associated Press reported.

Tennessee’s House has not acted on its version of the judicial election proposal.

Full post as published by The Gavel on March 30, 2011 (boomark / email).