NASHVILLE – Three Democratic Supreme Court justices say they will choose the state’s next attorney general in a “nonpartisan manner,” and one makes a point of saying she will work with two Republican justices to “select the best applicant.”
The statements in response to News Sentinel inquiries come with Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey criticizing the current attorney general, Democrat Bob Cooper, as part of an effort to unseat Supreme Court Justices Cornelia Clark, Sharon Lee and Gary Wade.
The three seek new eight-year terms in a statewide Aug. 7 retention election. They have retained a campaign staff and organized a series of fundraising events, following a gathering in Nashville last week that collected more than $100,000, according to a spokeswoman.
Should they be rejected in the yes-no retention election, their successors would be appointed by Gov. Bill Haslam, a Republican.
“When the current attorney general was selected, I was not on the Tennessee Supreme Court and therefore was not part of the process,” said Lee in an emailed statement.