The application deadline has passed, and eleven individuals submitted an application to the Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments to fill a vacancy on the Tennessee Supreme Court.
During the next round of the selection process, the Council will hold a public hearing to consider the candidates on Wednesday, December 8, where the public is invited to attend.
Following the interviews with each candidate, the group is expected to vote and forward three names to Governor Bill Lee for his consideration.
According to the group’s applications, the eleven individuals stem from widespread backgrounds across the state:
- William Blaylock: chief hearing officer at Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s Unemployment Appeals Tribunal
- Sarah Campbell: Associate Solicitor general and Special Assistant to the Attorney general.
- Kristi M. Davis: Judge, Tennessee Court of Appeals
- Timothy L. Easter: Judge, Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals
- Kelvin Jones: Circuit Court Judge.
- W. Neal McBrayer: Judge, Tennessee Court of Appeals
- Doug Overbey: Of Counsel, Owings, Wilson, and Coleman
- Robert F. Parsley: Attorney, Miller & Martin PLLC
- Jonathan T. Skrmetti: Chief Deputy Attorney General at the Tennessee Office of the Attorney General
- Gingeree Smith: Smyrna attorney
- Jeffrey Usman: Law Professor at the Belmont University College of Law
The vacancy was created when Supreme Court Justice Cornelia A. Clark passed away earlier this year after a short battle with cancer.
According to the Tennessee State Courts, Justice Clark was first appointed to the Supreme Court in 2005 by Governor Phil Bredesen. She served as chief justice of the group from 2010 to 2012. Prior to joining the court, she was the director of the Administrative Office of the Courts from 1999 to 2005.
The new appointee will join Justices Holly Kirby, Roger Page, Jeffrey Bivins, and Sharon Lee.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tennessee Supreme Court” by Thomas R Machnitzki CC BY 3.0.
I assume that it is guaranteed that the new appointee will not be a conservative constitutionalist. That would fly in the face of almost everything that Lee has done.
Well said. He’s a disappointment, a follower not a leader. Wish we had a DeSantis style governor.