Election office aided push to oust judge over voting ruling JONATHAN MATTISE and KIMBERLEE KRUESI , Associated Press March 17, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail 5 1of5FILE — In this July 23, 2018, file photo, Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle presides over a court case in Nashville, Tenn. Almost every Tennessee House Republican says hearings should be held for the removal of Ellen Hobbs Lyle, who expanded absentee voting in the 2020 election due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sparking warnings from legal experts that lawmakers are seriously considering an unprecedented breach of judicial independence. (Larry McCormack/The Tennessean via AP, File)Larry McCormack/APShow MoreShow Less 2of5FILE - In this Dec. 19, 2016 file photo Mark Goins, stands at the podium of the House chamber for the state's Electoral College vote in Nashville, Tenn. Tennessee’s top elections deputy worked closely with Republican lawmakers as they crafted an effort to get rid of a judge who had ruled to expand absentee voting last year. Emails provided to The Associated Press through a public records request show Elections Coordinator Mark Goins sent a five-page memo outlining complaints against Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle to the ouster proposal’s sponsor, Rep. Tim Rudd, and House Republican Caucus Chairman Rep. Jeremy Faison.Erik Schelzig/APShow MoreShow Less