Chattanooga area attorneys, leaders line up to support or oppose justices

Lee Davis

With early voting in less than two weeks and general election ballots to be cast on Aug. 7, a battle over three current Tennessee Supreme Court justices’ jobs has reached Chattanooga after months of back-and-forth in Nashville.

Local attorneys led by Lee Davis have been meeting with influential local leaders to swing support to keep the three justices up for retention votes this year as Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and his backers have sought to push the justices out.

Davis has criticized what he calls a “very vocal minority” of conservatives backing Ramsey in efforts to oust justices Gary Wade, Cornelia Clark and Sharon Lee, all appointed to the court by former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen.

For the past few months Ramsey and supporters have reached out to local media, held hearings and openly criticized the justices, calling for their ouster. The three justices have not taken the attack silently and have been campaigning across the state. Supporters have raised at least $600,000 for what would otherwise be a quiet, low-dollar judicial retention vote.

“What we try to do is get out to the civic-minded voters what the truthful record of these justices is, then the vote will take care of itself,” Davis said.