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House Panel Rejected a Push to Remove a Judge Over Expanding Absentee Voting

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Jennie Miller

On Tuesday, a Tennessee House panel rejected a push regarding the removal of a judge for expanding absentee voting in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, siding with prominent attorneys who warned the ouster would be an unprecedented breach of judicial independence. The House Civil Justice Subcommittee crushed the effort by voting down a resolution to initiate removal hearings against Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle. The subcommittee didn’t allow a request from Republican sponsor Rep. Tim Rudd to delay consideration of the resolution for several weeks. Point to be noted that 65 of 73 Republicans had signed on in support of the proposal in the House, which called for creating a House-Senate panel to make a recommendation on the removal of Judge.

A two-thirds vote in each chamber will be needed to remove Lyle if the panel voted in favor. The prospects looked less favorable in the Senate, where a version of the resolution had not drawn any co-sponsors. In June, the ruling of Lyle to expand absentee voting was ultimately overturned by the state Supreme Court. But, the state changed course to promise only after allowing people at higher risk of COVID-19 complications and their caretakers to vote by mail. Lyle extended absentee voting to all those living with a person at high risk of complications from COVID-19. The ruling also said the state had promised the Supreme Court that they could vote absentee as well. The Secretary of State Tre Hargett and Attorney General Herbert Slatery criticized Lyle’s rulings.

Tennessee legislators have used their constitutional authority to terminate judges only twice in the past 50 years. The angry Tennessee and Nashville bar associations also spoke against this recent push. However, prominent attorneys statewide formed their own committees to fight the issue. The former chief disciplinary counsel for the Court of the Judiciary, Joe Riley said, “Judges are out there now, they’re aware of what Chancellor Lyle is facing today. And they’re wondering if I render an unpopular decision in a hot case. Do I stand a chance of losing my job?” The election officials expanded access to absentee balloting or other voting methods in many states. It was due to concerns about the coronavirus spreading at crowded Election Day polling places.

Source: http://www.vindulacms.com/house-panel-rejected-a-push-to-remove-a-judge-over-expanding-absentee-voting/

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Jennie Miller
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