Knoxville, Tenn.— January 29, 2020 – The Knoxville Bar Association today released the results of its Candidate Member Survey for the contested races related to the justice system on the March 3rd ballot. The Survey asked each member of the Knoxville Bar Association to carefully assess whether the candidates have demonstrated the knowledge, skill, experience, training, education, professional ethics, and temperament to fulfill the duties of the offices to which they aspire. The Survey is designed to provide a measure of guidance to voters who might otherwise be unfamiliar with the candidates.
The Survey asked members to evaluate each candidate’s overall suitability for the offices of Knox County Criminal Court, Division II, Knox County Public Defender, and Knox County Law Director. Every member was asked to rate each candidate according to the following options: Strongly Recommend, Recommend, Do Not Recommend, Strongly Do Not Recommend and, Do Not Know Candidate. If an attorney did not know the candidates’ qualifications or had no opinion, he/she was instructed to mark “do not know candidate.”
“The intent is not to endorse any particular candidate, but rather to inform the public of the opinions of many of the attorneys actively practicing in East Tennessee regarding candidates’ fitness to serve in the judicial and related offices to which they are seeking election. The Knoxville Bar Association is pleased to provide this service to members of our community who have few if any encounters with the court system,” said Knoxville Bar Association President Hanson Tipton. “An informed electorate is vital to the efficient administration of justice.”
The Survey was conducted electronically from January 21 to January 28, 2020. Five hundred and seven KBA members participated in the survey.
