The Lawyers’ Association for Women, Marion Griffin Chapter was formed with the purpose of addressing issues of concern to women within the legal profession and legal issues affecting women generally, including: to promote the efficient administration of justice and the constant improvement of the law, especially, as it relates to women, to advocate for increased numbers of qualified women on the bench and to work for improvement of the overall quality of the bench. In line with these purposes, LAW supports an independent, fair and impartial court system.
LAW strongly opposes SB135/HB98* due to its selective application to only two counties in Tennessee and its effect of diminishing the authority of local jurisdictions in state and county judicial elections. Selective imposition of any election process is in its very nature an attack on an independent, fair, and impartial court system. LAW favors statewide uniformity in the application of local methods of filling court judgeships and county judicial offices.
We encourage a more thoughtful approach to any changes to our judicial system.
*Senate Bill 135 by Senator Steve Dickerson, R-Nashville and its companion House Bill 98 by Rep. William Lamberth, R-Cottontown legislation filed in the 110th Tennessee General Assembly. Click to read legislation: http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/110/Bill/HB0098.pdf
