Tomorrow is the big day! Check out the Voting Day information today.
The most important thing you can do is be a well informed and REGISTERED voter! Check if you are registered and your voting location. Election information Shelby County Election Commission and Candidates that have pulled, have filed and been cleared for the August 7, 2014 Ballot
Some interesting articles about the upcoming election:
- Your sample ballot for the August 2014 elections – Bill Dries for The Memphis Daily News
- August’s ‘Big Ballot’ Awaits County’s Voters – Bill Dries for The Memphis Daily News
- Here’s the Judicial Poll That Counts! from the Memphis Bar Association – Jackson Baker for Memphis Flyer
- Short-changing Justice in Shelby County – Judge James Beasley Jr for Memphis Flyer
- The Prosecution Rests – Tom Sells for Memphis Flyer
- How to Take Out a Supreme Court Justice – Dahlia Lithwick for Slate
My endorsements after the jump…
I’m a defense attorney and I practice in all State Courts in Shelby County. It really surprises me how little regard the voting public has for the opinion and advice of lawyers. But it shouldn’t. We clearly have financial and medical epidemics in America because most people ignore the opinions and advice of their financial and medical professionals too. I had a friend promise he would share this insight on social media but he wants to wait till election day for me to give him credit: “Elections are like having to choose between Coca-Cola and Pepsi, when what you really want and need is water.”
I really do love my work and representing my clients even though it ages and stresses me out daily. There’s a high duty on defense lawyers to avoid patronizing clients. I vote both as a Shelby County resident and as an advocate for my clients. Luckily I became a lawyer just shy of having to worry about these major elections until 2014. There has been time to observe the election process and the fallout when you take sides. I appear before Judges every day, I have respect for all experienced jurists. I support jurists that are fair, respectful, and consistent. But, sometimes the only way to improve the system is change.
There are some defense attorneys who believe that to truly advocate for clients, we must always vote against the incumbent. I honestly don’t feel comfortable taking that position. I’m opposed to partisan influence on the judicial system. When I previously posted during early voting, I refrained from endorsements. Now that election day has arrived, here’s who has my vote.
Vote YES on Tennessee Supreme Court Retention Elections and KEEP Tennessee Courts Fair
- Juvenile Court – Tarik Sugarmon
- Probate Court Part 2 – Danny Kail
- Circuit Court Division 8 – Bob Weiss
- 25th Judicial District Public Defender – Lyle Jones
- General Assembly District 94 – Steven Hale
Criminal Court
- Paula Skahan
- Glenn Wright – unopposed
- Bobby Carter
- Carolyn Blackett – unopposed
- Jim Lammey
- John Campbell
- Lee Coffee
- Chris Craft – unopposed
- Mark Ward
- James Beasley – unopposed
General Sessions Court Civil and Criminal
Miss Attorney Ma'am 