Gov. Bill Haslam conducts budget hearings at the state Capitol in Nashville in this file photo.NASHVILLE – They sit at the pinnacle of Tennessee’s justice system, enjoying power, privileges, prestige – and even a job nearly for life, once in office.
With all the enviable perks that justices on the state Supreme Court earn, it’s no wonder Gov. Bill Haslam is at a loss to explain why only five people applied for the seat being vacated by retiring Justice Janice Holden.
“I was surprised there were only five for a Supreme Court position,” Haslam told reporters recently. “We don’t control how many people apply.”
That small pool has been whittled down to three: The Governor’s Commission on Judicial Nominations, which reviews applications and conducts interviews for judicial vacancies, eliminated two potential candidates during its vetting process.
People may have been discouraged from applying by uncertainty surrounding the future of the judicial selection system, said Allan Ramsaur, the executive director of the Tennessee Bar Association.