Guber candidates talk on electing AG, marijuana, Confederate statutes at TN Bar Association forum
Four gubernatorial candidates – Republicans Randy Boyd and Beth Harwell; Democrats Karl Dean and Craig Fitzhugh — told the annual convention of the Tennessee Bar Association Thursday that they favor keeping the Tennessee Attorney General a position appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court, reports the Memphis Daily News.
And each said if elected they would keep outgoing Gov. Bill Haslam’s executive order that leaves in place a judicial nominating commission to recommend finalists to the governor for trial and appellate court vacancies in the state. And all called for studies and reforms of the cash bail system in Tennessee courts.
… “Some of my colleagues don’t think there should be a third branch,” said Fitzhugh, a Democratic state Rep. from Ripley, Tn. who has practiced law, referring to the judiciary. “I’m being a little facetious, but not much.”
Harwell, the Republican speaker of the house and educator by trade, began by saying, “I know the importance of your branch of government.”
Fitzhugh said there is a downside to being the only state in the union with an appointed instead of elected attorney general. It leaves the office of Governor as the only statewide elected office in state government.
Boyd noted that in other states the Attorney General is “the person who could be the next governor.”
…Boyd admitted to feeling somewhat out of his element as a non-lawyer.
“I’m a businessman. I’m not a lawyer,” he said as he outlined several million dollars in legal bills his company pays each year. “I might be a customer,” he added.
On the question of bail reform, Boyd said a study of the system might also look at technology to track those awaiting trial who are not in a pre-trial jail.
“We can track your dog anywhere on the planet,” added the founder of a pet products business that includes dog fences and tracking devices.
Boyd also vowed to cut the time it takes to process evidence in the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation laboratory saying the current six-month average wait isn’t good enough.
Republican candidates Diane Black and Bill Lee did not attend the forum. Other media reporting on the event emphasized other topics.
First sentence of the Associated Press report: Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and Tennessee House Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh expressed support Thursday for eliminating criminal punishment for possessing small amounts of marijuana statewide if elected governor.
Lead topic in the Commercial Appeal report is the candidate views on removal of Confederate statutes from Memphis city parks. Excerpt:
Democrats Dean and Fitzhugh each said the city’s December removal of two statues was a local issue that should not be the state’s business. Harwell and Boyd, while conceding Memphis acted legally according to a Davidson County chancellor’s ruling, addressed the questions in terms of preserving history.
UPDATE: Diane Black, who did not attend the debate, would support ending the current system wherein the Supreme Court picks the state attorney general, reports Victor Ashe. The former Knoxville mayor asked the Black campaign for her view and reported the answer in his June 27 column:
“Diane certainly believes in changing the current process. Right now, the attorney general is not accountable to the people of Tennessee or their representatives in the legislature. Whether through direct election or legislative appointment, Diane supports changing this process and will push for that change as governor.”
It will be interesting to see if Black makes this an issue and if the others continue to oppose the people of Tennessee having a more direct voice in the AG selection. The AG is not simply a court reporter. The office makes public policy and as such should be accountable to the people.
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