The Tennessee Capitol in Nashville, Tenn.NASHVILLE – A proposal to change how Tennessee Supreme Court justices and other appellate judges are selected and elected completed the first step of its three-leg journey today.
The House approved Senate Joint Resolution 710 on a 70-27 vote, sending the proposed amendment to the state Constitution to the 108th General Assembly, which will be elected in November.
The measure previously passed the Senate.
If approved by a two-thirds votes of Senate and House members in 2013 or 2014, the proposed amendment would go on the 2014 ballot, where it would have to gain approval by a majority of voters participating in the gubernatorial election.
The proposal is a response to critics who say the current selection and retention process for appellate judges is unconstitutional because there are no competitive elections, although it has been upheld by a special Supreme Court.