Lt. Gov. Ramsey gambling with state government chaos for chance to stack state courts

[doeriver]

Perhaps we should take the flashback to 2008 during this Tennessee gubernatorial election and learn the pretext as to "why" Tennessee Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey demoted a ranking female African-American Senator from the TNGA Senate Government Operations Committee in order to stack the future makeup of the Tennessee Supremme Court and the lower Tennessee courts:

Rex and the City: Don Karlo
Grumblings about Thelma
http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/rex-and-city-don-karlo
Monday, May 19, 2008 at 1:20am

Sen. Thelma Harper, the chairwoman of the Senate Government Operations Committee, and her House counterpart have become the focus of considerable grumbling toward the end of this legislative session.



TNGA Senator Thelma Harper, D-Nashville
http://www.capitol.tn.gov/senate/members/s19.html

The battle is between Republicans in the Senate and judicial interest groups over how the state picks its judges.

The plot line goes like this. The feisty Harper is one of two Democratic chairpersons appointed by Republican Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey in the GOP controlled state Senate.

The Nashville Democrat’s panel is charged with reviewing state departments and agencies along with the House’s Government Operations Committee, and, if it’s warranted, filing legislation to extend the life of those entities.

Problem is, Harper and Rep. Mike Kernell of Memphis, the House Government Operations Committee chairman, don’t get along. As a result, their joint committee has trouble meeting and entities scheduled for review pile up (by last count, 54 of them).



Rep. Mike Kernell, D-Memphis

To rectify the situation, there is usually a sweeper bill to extend for one year those 54 agencies not properly reviewed.

One of those agencies happens to be the Judicial Selection Commission, which recommends potential judges to the governor to choose among for open state benches.

Ramsey, in his quest to reform how the state picks judges to ultimately get more conservatives on the bench, wants to change how the Judicial Selection Commission is appointed.

They’re facing difficulties, however, and as a result, Ramsey and the Republicans have used the sweeper bill as leverage. It almost assuredly won’t pass this year as the GOP tries to force judicial changes.

And, 54 agencies will go into a one-year wind down starting July 1 and are scheduled to expire July 1, 2009, unless legislation is passed next year. These agencies include seven departments, some of them pretty darn important such as Revenue and Safety.

Despite orchestrating the judicial reforms, Ramsey and his camp are unhappy about the situation involving Harper’s committee and the stockpiling of agencies not being reviewed. If Ramsey is re-elected Senate speaker in January 2009, it’s possible Harper could lose her chairmanship.

Rex Noseworthy appears Mondays in The City Paper. He can reached at [e-mail]

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TNGA House Government Operations Committee Chair Rep. Susan Lynn, R-Mt. Juliet



TNGA Senate Government Operations Committee Chair Senator Bo Watson R-Hixson

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related:
Lt. Governor Ramsey names John Rambo, Michael Tant to Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Panel will review work of appellate judges
http://www.teamronramsey.com/BlogRetrieve.aspx?BlogID=4337&PostID=83560

(Nashville) – Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey (R-Blountville) today announced the appointment of John Rambo and Michael Tant to the newly-created Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission. The commission will perform evaluations and issue reports concerning the performance of Tennessee appellate judges. State law requires the Lt. Governor to appoint one attorney and one non-attorney to the commission.

“John Rambo and Michael Tant will help ensure that Tennessee judges interpret the law as it is written and work to eliminate judicial activism from our courts,” said Lt. Governor Ramsey. “They will do an excellent job assisting the public in evaluating the performance of appellate court judges.”

Mr. Rambo is a sole practitioner who serves as Washington County attorney in addition to being a part-time municipal judge for the Town of Jonesborough. Mr. Tant is an engineering consultant with the firm of W. Z. Baumgartner & Associates, Inc. in Williamson County.

On the web:
http://www.legislature.state.tn.us/senate/members/s2.htm