The Tennessee State Capitol in downtown Nashville.View more Tennessee legislature news: Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey’s proposal cuts two judicial districts
NASHVILLE – Tennessee voters will get to decide in 2014 whether to give the General Assembly the power to reject a governor’s appointee to appeals courts after final action was taken by the House on the proposed constitutional amendment Monday.
Members voted 78-14 in favor of the resolution. Senators approved it last month.
The resolution also settles once and for all lingering questions among some about the constitutionality of the state’s current process. It enshrines current law in which appellate judges are initially appointed by the governor and later run in yes/no retention elections instead of competitive contests.
Proponents say it protects the current process from being changed into multimillion-dollar campaigns, often bankrolled by special interests, for Supreme Court justices and other appellate judges.