Tennessee Supreme Court Yet to Announce Process of Selecting Next Attorney General

The Tennessee Supreme Court, which is the body that appoints the state’s attorney general, has yet to announce an official process in the search to replace Attorney General Herbert Slatery, who leaves office at the end of August.

The process is expected to be conducted in a similar manner as the one that yielded Slatery. He has served as Tennessee’s attorney general since 2014 and is not seeking an additional eight-year term.

The court’s application and hearing process that was conducted eight years ago yielded eight applicants, including the current attorney general. Prior to his appointment, Slatery served as counsel to then-Governor Bill Haslam.

Former Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey, a Republican, was critical of the process at the time. “I don’t necessarily like the fact that they’re apparently going to make the decision behind closed doors,” Ramsey said.

Several sources told The Tennessee Star that they believe that the 2022 process needs to be far more transparent than the one that occurred in 2014.

“The public has a right to see our next attorney general stand up to true public scrutiny. The Court shouldn’t be a rubber stamp for a back-room selection of a close aide to the governor, which is what happened last time. The Virginia General Assembly should hold informal hearings and interview the applicants to shed greater light on what Tennessee can expect from the next attorney general,” one said….. (Excerpt from The Tennessee Star)