May 20, 2013
Recommending constitutional amendment and extension of Judicial Nominating Commission
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT/AP) -- Gov. Bill Haslam and the Legislature's two speakers presented a joint proposal to address how judges are selected in Tennessee at the State Capitol on Wednesday.
The three Republicans have said they oppose the popular election of Supreme Court justices.
They proposed a constitutional amendment on Wednesday that would allow judges to be nominated by a commission based on merit, appointed by the governor, and elected in a retention election as they currently are.
“I believe the current process has worked well during my time in office, and I’ve been pleased with both the quality of candidates and the process for choosing them," said Haslam.
"The judiciary is the third and equal branch of government, and we are here to make this recommendation because we believe it is important for our Constitution to clearly reflect the reality of how we select judges in Tennessee," he continued.
They say legislation will also be filed to extend the Judicial Nominating Commission and the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission until at least 2015, which they hope will allow enough time for the amendment to be considered.
