Poll: Tennesseeans Favor Electing Supreme Court Justices

According to results of a recent Vanderbilt University poll, 44 percent of Tennessee voters want to elect supreme court justices, while 28 percent believe the governor should continue to appoint them. The legislature is expected to pursue changes to the process for selecting judges in 2013, whether it be implementing a different system or enshrining the current commission-based gubernatorial appointment process with retention elections in the constitution. Two lawmakers have already introduced a bill calling for a modified federal selection system, or a “Founding Fathers Plan Plus,” that includes gubernatorial appointment, legislative confirmation, and retention elections.