The new panel rule is set to go into effect in July, unless the governor vetoes the legislation.
Hundreds of Tennesseans, including judges, lawyers and business owners, penned an open letter to Lee this week, urging him to veto the bill. I ve reviewed all of them and there wasn t any difference in the basic fundamental core which is none of the three versions were needed, said Penny White, a former Tennessee Supreme Court justice and current University of Tennessee law professor who has worked in law for four decades.
Tennessee already has elected chancellors and circuit court judges, 24 appellate judges and a provision that allows the state Supreme Court to reach down on some constitutional cases as needed, she said.
Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. | (Photo: Facebook)
Students and faculty at Watkins College of Art in Nashville are suing to stop the school from being absorbed by the nearby Christian nondenominational Belmont University.
On March 10, two students who are members of the LGBT community and one instructor filed legal actions in Davidson County Chancery Court to stop Belmont’s acquisition of the secular, four-year art college, which has faced declining enrollment and financial uncertainty in recent years.
The merger drew concern from community members and a legislator who accused the Watkins’ board of trustees of acting in secrecy to complete the deal with Belmont without government oversight or the public being informed.
Nashville sues Davidson County Election Commission over decision to place anti-tax measure before voters
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Metro Nashville has sued the Davidson Election Commission over its decision to place an anti-tax referendum before voters on July 27, arguing the initiative is flawed and unconstitutional and will cause financial loss to the city.
The lawsuit, filed in Davidson County Chancery Court on Tuesday, is the latest in an intensifying, months-long brawl between city officials and the group 4 Good Government over efforts to reverse Nashville s recent property tax increase.
Jim Roberts, local attorney organizing the petition efforts, said he is not surprised by the lawsuit. He called the court challenge a poorly-drafted, poorly-reasoned Hail Mary attempt to keep the initiative off the ballot.
Credit capitol.tn.gov
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mike Osborne) A bill has been forwarded to Gov. Bill Lee for his consideration this week that would change the way legal challenges to Tennessee law are decided.
Davidson County Chancery Court currently hears those cases. However, the leaders of Tennessee’s GOP dominated legislature view the Davidson County courts as liberal and frequently biased against the legislation they pass.
Republicans tried and failed to create a special court, located outside Davidson County, to hear all Constitutional challenges. They passed a compromise measure instead.
The bill on the governor’s desk would see challenges to state law heard by three judge panels. Those panels would be appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court and would be composed of one judge each from West, Middle and East Tennessee.
With the Tennessee General Assembly set to wrap up its annual business this week, bills related to medical marijuana, the statewide judicial system and unemployment benefits are among those whose fortunes are rising and falling rapidly.
As is tradition, the chaotic death throes of the term drew national attention, this time when Knoxville Republican Rep. Justin Lafferty argued that the Three-Fifths Compromise â the 1787 agreement that prescribed counting enslaved people as less than a person for apportionment purposes â was good, actually. His statement came amid a debate about what Tennessee schools can teach about racism and discrimination.
The House and Senate, both controlled by Republicans, disagreed on the debate Tuesday, as the House approved an amendment that could strip funding from schools where certain lessons on systemic racism are taught. The Senate refused to adopt the amendment, which could lead to further negotiations between the two chambers on Wednesday.