The World According to Oatney

The Will of the Voters...?

If voters reject an attempt to change the Tennessee Constitution to allow for judicial appointment instead of judicial election, will the General Assembly respect that?:

Where Ramsey and other proponents of amending the State Constitution to allow for judicial appointments may err is in the notion that the voters of Tennessee-who must ultimately approve all constitutional amendments-will be keen to give up their constitutional right to approve Supreme and appellate court judges when it is fully explained to them as part of the referendum campaign that-"oops, you have the right to elect your judges, but we haven't let you exercise that right since the 1970's." Something tells this writer that voters will reject what amounts to a repeal of their constitutional rights, and what the Lieutenant Governor and others must answer is this: If the voters reject a change to the State Constitution and thereby demand direct election of appellate judges be restored to them, will the Legislature finally respect that verdict, and the liberal judges who refuse to bend to the State Constitution finally just man-and-woman up and run for election?

Labels: Conservatism, Democrats, Elections, Local politics, Tennessee politics

posted by Deacon David Oatney @ 12:25 PM