Today at 1 p.m. CT a press conference was held at Legislative Plaza. The Vote NO on 2! Committee is proud to announce the addition of four outstanding Tennessee statesmen to its leadership:
Honorary Co-Chair, Rep. Joe Carr
Steering Committee, Sen. Mae Beavers
Steering Committee, Rep. David Alexander
Treasurer, Forrest Shoaf
Our committee is a grassroots organization of statewide scope that supports implementation of the present constitutional mandate that “judges of the Supreme Court shall be elected by the qualified voters of the state” (Art. VI, Sec. 3). Consequently, we urge voters to reject this amendment – again. Voters rejected a similar amendment in 1978, and we believe voters will reject it again this year, and for the same reason: People don’t want to give up their right to judge the judges who judge us.
“I am delighted to lend my voice in support of the Constitution of Tennessee because I believe it is one of the best. We should reject Amendment 2 because giving up your right to elect Supreme and appeals court judges is a step back from the principle of self-government,” said Rep. Joe Carr. “Amendment 2 is just a power play by the Establishment to rob the sovereign people and accumulate power to themselves.”
Sen. Mae Beavers has long fought for greater accountability for judges. “Amendment 2 is a bad idea because it reduces accountability for these judges.” She noted that in the forty-plus years of the current system more than 99-percent of all judges win re-election. “That’s not accountability, that’s a rubber stamp,” noted Beavers.
State coordinator John Avery Emison said he has written Gov. Haslam and asked if Amendment 2 fails whether he will support legislation that restores the constitutional mandate for regular, contested elections for the judges. “He has refused to answer,” Emison said. “Imagine that! An incumbent governor who won’t say whether he will honor a vote of the people – unless they vote his way.”
Emison said the real question, whether the people will forever give up their right to elect these judges and have them appointed by the governor, is not in the wording on the ballot. “The real question is camouflaged.” He said, if the real question were properly on the ballot “it would fail overwhelmingly.”
Sen. Beavers and Sen. Frank Niceley have publically stated that if the people reject Amendment 2, they will introduce legislation next January to restore the constitutional mandate for regular election of these judges. Rep. Andy Holt and others have pledged to sponsor this legislation in the House.
Rest assured, after the voters reject Amendment 2 this committee will not stand idly by as if nothing happened, because we believe a court system of elected judges is a better court system than appointed judges. One has only to look at the conflict, confusion, and lack of accountability to the public that is clearly evident in the Federal court system that Gov. Haslam said he admires. We believe most Tennesseans agree that our system of electing judges is far superior to the way they do things in Washington. Vote NO on 2!
