Tennessee courts should focus on justice,
NOT partisan politics.
Add your name to the open letter to Gov. Lee
An updated letter will be released to the press regularly.
Dear Governor Lee:
Tennesseans believe that our courts should be impartial, focused on justice and not politics, no matter our race, gender or zip code.
The last minute, behind-closed-doors attack on our courts creates a costly and confusing solution to a problem that doesn’t exist, duplicates a process we already have, politicizes the court and betrays the separation of powers.
An independent judiciary is essential to a democracy that works for all of us. Your refusal to veto this unnecessary, expensive and unworkable legislation puts politics ahead of justice and betrays the separation of powers, upending centuries of stability in trying cases and judicial independence in our state.
Signed by (we will update this periodically):
Lee Davis, Attorney (Chattanooga)
Muecke Barker, Former State Supreme Court Justice, Attorney (Chattanooga)
Penny White, Former State Supreme Court Justice, Attorney (Johnson City)
Marietta Shipley, Former Circuit Judge Davidson County, Attorney (Nashville)
Alfred Smith, Attorney (Lookout Mtn)
Penny Harrington, Former General Sessions Judge (Nashville)
Douglas Blaze, Attorney (Knoxville)
Allan Ramsaur, Attorney (Nashville)
J. Michael Engle, Attorney (Nashville)
Brant Phillips, Attorney (Nashville)
Gordon Bonnyman, Attorney (Nashville)
Paul Purdue, Senior Pastor Belmont UMC (Nashville)
Claudia Bonnyman, Elected (Nashville)
Carol Brown Andrews, Business Owner (Riddleton)
Phil Cobucci, Business Owner (Nashville)
Eric Harman, Business Owner (Bristol)
Frank Garrison, Business Owner (Nashville)
Dr. Jason Martin, Physician (Nashville)
Frank Carter, Retired Physician (Murfreesboro)
Margaret Behm, Attorney (Nashville)
Dave Garrison, Attorney (Nashville)
Jake Brown, Attorney, Vet/Military (Memhis)
Brian Krumm, Attorney, Lee Voter (Johns Island)
Everett Hixson III, Attorney, Lee Voter (Chattanooga)
Bob Huddleston, Attorney (Memphis)
JB Smiley Jr., Attorney (Memphis)
Victoria Herman, Attorney (Goodlettsville)
Lynn Newcomb, Attorney (Ashland City)
Suzanne Brown, Attorney (Memphis)
Stephen Zralek, Attorney (Nashville)
Ametrice Biggers, Attorney (Lewisburg)
Valorie Vojdik, Attorney (Knoxville)
Nancy MacLean, Attorney (Brentwood)
Mary Walker, Attorney (Nashville)
Cindy Robinson, Attorney (Antioch)
Karen Neal, Attorney (Nashville)
Jeff Gibson, Attorney (Nashville)
Jack McCall, Attorney (Knoxville)
Jimmie Lynn Ramsaur, Attorney (Nashville)
Grace Stranch, Attorney (Nashville)
Marjorie Bristol, Attorney (Goodlettsville)
Travis Brandon, Attorney (Nashville)
Angie Lawless, Attorney (Nashville)
Cole Dowsley, Attorney (Nashville)
Gerald Thornton, Attorney (Knoxville)
Jessica Dragonetti, Attorney (Nashville)
Tony Sax, Attorney (Knoxville)
Alicia Cottrell, Attorney (Nashville)
Patrick Chinnery, Attorney (Nashville)
R Scott Carpenter, Attorney (Knoxville)
Greyson Dulaney, Attorney (Knoxville)
William Tidwell, Attorney (Chattanooga)
Gregg Ramos, Attorney (Nashville)
Tyler Caviness, Attorney (Knoxville)
Martha Butler, Vet/Military (Centerville)
Thomas Hanks, Vet/Military (Franklin)
Karen Stuart, Veteran/Military (Memphis)
Nathan Gebhart, Vet/Military (Knoxville)
Jerry Park, Vet/Militay/Lee Voter (Nashville)
Jeremy Humphrey, Law Enforcement/1st Responder (Santa Fe)
Tim Armstrong, Law Enforcement/1st Responder (Linden)
Lillian Mashburn, Law Enforcement/1st Responder (Knoxville)
Karen Mehner, Farmer (Butler)
Reverend Tracy Scarbrough, (Knoxville)
Rev. Greg Bancroft, Faith Leader (Nashville)
The Rev. Dr. Jerome Del Pino, UMC Retired (Franklin)
The Rev. Carolyn Coleman, Constituent (Nashville)
Rep. John Ray Clemmons, Attorney, Elected Official (Nashville)
Rep. London Lamar, Elected Official (Memphis)
Rep. Gloria Johnson, Elected Official (Knoxville)
John Bucy, Elected Official (Martin)
Starr Morrow, Lee Voter (Bluff City)
Victoria King, Lee Voter (Seymour)
Diane Nelson, Lee Voter (Johnson City)
Marvin Thomasson, Lee Voter (Chattanooga)
Joan Scheu, Lee Voter (Piney Flats)
Larry Miller, Elected Official (Memphis)
Kathy Ebbert, Business Owner (Hendersonville)
Fran Antonacci, Business Owner (Nashville)
Sprigg Ebbert, Business Owner (Hendersonville)
Larry Theodore Blanz, Business Owner (Nashville)
Gerald Gonyea, Business Owner (Greenbrier)
Dorothy Lee Grisham, Business Owner (Chattanooga)
Carter Witt, Business Owner (Nashville)
Renee Parker, Business Owner (Memphis)
Dr Barry K Snyder, Business Owner (Chattanooga)
Sandra Smith, Business Owner (Brentwood)
Bob Albiston, Business Owner (Knoxville)
Jonathan Nessle, Business Owner (Chattanooga)
Keith Brewer, Business Owner (Jasper)
Kent Anderson, Business Owner (Dresden)
Jack Jeffers, Business Owner (Oneida)
Gary Layda, Business Owner (Nashville)
David Hans, Business Owner (Antioch)
Michael Coker, Business Owner (Columbia)
Sue Cummings, Business Owner (Fayetteville)
Gina Mendello, Business Owner (Nashville)
Karen and Kent Cochran, Business Owner (Nashville)
Carol Fleetwood, Business Owner (Cookeville)
Jacob Kleinrock, Business Owner (Nashville)
Lisa Smith, Business Owner (Knoxville)
Anne Williams, Business Owner (Nashville)
Sharon Cort, Business Owner (Nashville)
Hayley Greenhouse, Business Owner (Brentwood)
Holly Quick, Business Owner (Nashville)
LeAnne Jones, Business Owner (Nashville)
Francis Patrick, Business Owner (Knoxville)
Dr. EB Fleming, Business Owner (Franklin)
Dr. Cathy Pyron, Business Owner (Signal Mountain)
Angela Warden, Business Owner (Brentwood)
Jake Scaffidi, Business Owner (Knoxville)
Susan Meador, Business Owner (Nashville)
Emily Cathcart, Business Owner (Nashville)
Duncan Ragsdale, Business Owner (Nashville)
John Fuller, Business Owner (Nashville)
Sharon Hart, Business Owner (Butler)
Liz Popp, Business Owner (Powell)
Dr. Robert and Lucinda Albiston, Business Owner (Knoxville)
Jennifer Greer, Business Owner (Clarksville)
Connie Duncan, Business Owner (Knoxville)
Lin Dunn, Business Owner (Dresden)
Shannon Taylor, Business Owner (Madison)
Gloria Griffith, Business Owner (Mountain City)
John Trudel, Business Owner (Nashville)
Teresa DuVall Allgood, Business Owner (Kingsport)
Bill Vinett, Business Owner (Nashville)
Kathy Ebbert, Business Owner (Hendersonville)
Robert Niemi, Business Owner, Lee Voter (Nashville)
Courtenay Rogers, Business Owner, Vet/Military (Franklin)
Regina Holloway, Teacher (Baxter)
Mark George, Teacher (Memphis)
Julie James, Teacher (Nashville)
Megan Lawrence, Teacher (Nashville)
Amy Ozment, Teacher (Germantown)
Elizabeth Hardiman, Teacher (Smithville)
Joan Laney, Constituent (Memphis)
Deborah Reed, Constituent (Munford)
Elizabeth Madeira, Constituent (Franklin)
Richard Osborne, Constituent (Franklin)
mary kline barnes, Constituent (Nashville)
Jonas Applegate, Constituent (Nolensville)
Michael Bernard, Constituent (Nashville)
Daniel Hutchison, Constituent (Chattanooga)
Skyler Levine, Constituent (Nashville)
Rebecca Francis, Constituent (White House)
Donald Pocek, Constituent (Hermitage)
Carnisa Dillard, Constituent (Memphis)
Adam Gabel, Constituent (Nashville)
Philip Madeira, Constituent (Nashville)
David Campbell, Constituent (Arthur)
Jeanie Nelson, Constituent (Nashville)
Hannah Nelson, Constituent (Ooltewah)
Sara Oaks, Constituent (Cordova)
Pamela Auble, Constituent (Nashville)
Virginia Tacker, Constituent (Nashville)
Rebecca Davidson, Constituent (Haines)
Anne Pennington, Constituent (Brentwood)
Betty Taylor, Constituent (Nashville)
Elizabeth Ramage, Constituent (Nashville)
Mary Folk, Constituent (Nashville)
Elizabeth Henderson, Constituent (Nashville)
Judy Isenhour, Constituent (Nashville)
Gwendolyn Moore, Constituent (Old Hickory)
Patty Dellibovi, Constituent (Nashville)
Carolyn Thompson, Constituent (Nashville)
Allan Creasy, Constituent (Memphis)
Tara Houston, Constituent (Nashville)
Jennifer Kimball, Constituent (Nashville)
Kim Troup, Constituent (Nashville)
Dr. William Kenner, Constituent (Nashville)
Ron McCullough, Constituent (Nashville)
Sally Carlson, Constituent (Nashville)
Dana Mccullough, Constituent (Nashville)
Wendy Wilkins, Constituent (Whitwell)
James Dallas, Constituent (Columbia)
Jack Gress, Constituent (Sevierville)
Kimberli Rose, Constituent (Smyrna)
Catherine Lowe, Constituent (Nashville)
Helen Buckley, Constituent (Chattanooga)
Sally Mills, Constituent (Nashville)
Susan Gish, Constituent (Nashville)
Mirabelle Stoedter, Constituent (Nashville)
Michael Pearigen, Constituent (Nashville)
Martha Jane Osgerby, Constituent (Nashville)
Matt Ferry, Constituent (Murfreesboro)
Whit Gardner, Constituent (Nashville)
Sharon Buckingham, Constituent (Knoxville)
Katherine Cannon, Constituent (Nashville)
Bobbie Lynne McFarland, Constituent (Nashville)
Kristen Hoy, Constituent (Chattanooga)
Mary Dionne, Constituent (Nashville)
Carrie Walker, Constituent (Knoxville)
Leah Brooks, Constituent (Nashville)
Carrie Olena, Constituent (Madison)
Suzanne Buice, Constituent (Knoxville)
Amanda King, Constituent (Maryville)
Carole York, Constituent (Brentwood)
Cassie Sykes, Constituent (Cleveland)
Landon Key, Constituent (Cookeville)
Denise Primm, Constituent (Nashville)
Jacqueline Jackson, Constituent (Memphis)
Caryn Brewer, Constituent (Maryville)
Elizabeth May, Constituent (Ardmore)
Bradford Pippen, Constituent (Lewisburg)
Jeffrey King, Constituent (Nashville)
Anita Colliatie, Constituent (Knoxville)
Elaine Loughlin, Constituent (Nashville)
Patricia Hudson, Constituent (Knoxville)
Bruce Orman, Constituent (Nashville)
Carolyn Joned, Constituent (Nashville)
Suzanne Lanier, Constituent (Nashville)
Eileen Koesy, Constituent (Nashville)
Linda Houser, Constituent (Seymour)
Dennis Garvey, Constituent (Nashville)
Caroline Akers, Constituent (Nashville)
Wendy Rancier, Constituent (Gallatin)
Robert Jernigan, Constituent (Tullahoma)
Matt Ferry, Constituent (Murfreesboro)
Rened Kasman, Constituent (Nashville)
Leslie Parker, Constituent (Memphis)
Eileen Koesy, Constituent (Nashville)
Mary Isaac, Constituent (Farragut)
Mary Pierce, Constituent (Nashville)
Lisa Gordon, Constituent (Murfreesboro)
Pamela Ozment, Constituent (Germantown)
Holly Wray, Constituent (Oak Ridge)
Diane Brown, Constituent (Bartlett)
Shoshanah Kaplowitz, Constituent (Memphis)
Mary Dionne, Constituent (Nashville)
Anna Fahrenholz, Constituent (Nashville)
Elizabeth Dale, Constituent (Jonesborough)
Andrew Hunt, Constituent (Bristol)
Dawn Franklin, Constituent (Hermitage)
Robert Pickard, Constituent (Nashville)
Shanon Pickering, Constituent (Nashville)
Caroline Duley, Constituent (Nashville)
Zachary Carey, Constituent (Knoxville)
George Brown, Constituent (Knoxville)
Aaron Parsons, Constituent (Chattanooga)
Paul Taylor, Constituent (Memphis)
Ashli Smith, Constituent (Maryville)
Janet Curley, Constituent (Knoxville)
Nancy Gentry, Constituent (Franklin)
Robert Harrold, Constituent (Memphis)
Barbara Owens, Constituent (Brentwood)
Kimberlyn Owens, Constituent (Brentwood)
Lisa Logan, Constituent (Antioch)
Jennifer Ashley-McCall, Constituent (Knoxville)
Kathie Adams, Constituent (Nashville)
Kelly Zachary, Constituent (Nashville)
Jane Pope, Constituent (Oak Ridge)
Grace Graves, Constituent (Johnson City)
Sara Finley, Constituent (Nashville)
and more (counter at right updates in real time, we'll periodically update this part!)