Thursday, July 31, 2014

Chief Justice Gary Wade visits Cocke County
Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Gary Wade was in Cocke County earlier this week to talk about the current campaign to remove he and three other justices from the high bench. Residents of the Volunteer State will vote next week on the issue of whether or not the trio should be retained. Republican Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey's office has mounted a campaign to remove the Democratic appointees, Chief Wade, Justice Connie Clark and Justice Sharon Lee, from the Supreme Court. The campaign has convinced a number of large businesses, many from outside of Tennessee, to contribute to the effort to oust the trio. Ramsey says the three are "anti-business." But earlier this year, a commission which Ramsey helped to appoint, fount that the justices were good, qualified members of the high court who should be retained. The leagl community and bar associations across the state have come to the defense of the justices. Earlier this week, Chief Wade, a former mayor of Sevierville, stopped by Cocke County Circuit Court to chat with his friend Circuit Court Judge Rex Henry Ogle. Ogle did not publicly comment on the effort to remove the justices, saying as a judge he is prohibited by state law from actively campaigning for the trio. Justice Wade told the Citizen Tribune, the campaign to remove the justices is being funded primarily by out-of-state money. He pointed out that in the past when justices received a good report from the evaluation commission, residents voted overwhelmingly to retain their judges. "This time it's a little bit different, a state senator has decided to run an opposition campaign even though he had appointed half of the evaluation commission. As a result we are vigorously trying to defend the honor, dignity and integrity of the judicial branch of government so it will not be beholden to any other branch or any individual," explained Justice Wade. Under the law the Supreme Court is called upon to interpret the law independently, disregarding political pressure, and separate from the legislative branch. "First and most importantly we must be accountable to the law, and be accountable to the people in the sense that we explain how the law works. Foremost in our minds is to uphold the principles of law, as well as the state and federal constitutions," he said. Chief Wade went on to point out to a statement once made by U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts who likened the supreme court to the umpires in a baseball game, "We don't write the laws, we don't make the laws; we are handed the rule book and and we simply apply the laws to unusual situations."


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