President’s Message

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE By: Jason H. Long

London Amburn

A JUDICIOUS USE OF RESOURCES

It is axiomatic, to anyone with a basic knowledge of history and civics, that a democracy functions best when it can rely upon an informed and engaged electorate. This truth is nowhere more evident and important than in its application to the election of members of our judiciary. Judges, as elected officials, are in a difficult position. Their office is intended to be non-partisan and thus they cannot rely upon traditional party machine apparatus to advance their case for election to the degree that other office holders can. Sitting judges are bound by a code of ethics that regulates their conduct in a campaign significantly more than candidates for other offices. They do not speak at large public rallies or air commercials during the Super Bowl. Judges work in relative obscurity and their capacity and abilities are only on display for a small portion of the electorate. Nonetheless, the election of judges is one of the most important obligations we take on as members of a democracy. I do not need to sell the importance of electing qualified and capable jurists to the members of this bar. It is vital to a just society that we get these elections right. The challenge is in how we educate ourselves and others regarding these important elections and the candidates vying for office. We recognize that, as attorneys practicing in the Knox County court system, members of this bar association are in the best position to perform this service to the public and the Knoxville Bar Association is the most efficient vehicle for providing the service. With that in mind, I wanted to take this opportunity to remind everyone what resources are available through your KBA for the education of attorneys and the public in the upcoming judicial elections.

To begin with, one need only peruse the “Public Resources” section of the KBA website to get a better understanding of the importance of the elections, the need for participation, and the quality and competency of the candidates. Review the “Get to Know Your Judicial Candidates” section of the KBA website to see what resources are available, both to attorneys and the public. You will find a section on the importance of judicial elections and their effect upon our community, frequently asked questions about the process for electing judges in our Knox County courts, suggestions as to what a voter should be considering when making decisions, links to Knox County websites providing logistical details concerning the elections, and, perhaps most importantly, candidate profiles which are submitted by the candidates themselves to give an overview of their background and qualifications for office. I say that this information is available on the public section of our website as a service to the community at large, but it is equally valuable for practicing attorneys who, while they may have familiarity with some of the candidates, certainly cannot hope to know about each and every one of them. In short, the website is an excellent resource for gathering all pertinent materials regarding Knox County judicial elections into a single, easily digestible format to serve the need of informing the electorate, both as to the crucial nature of these elections and the candidates. I encourage everyone to spend some time perusing the website between now and the start of early voting.

Next, the Judicial Committee of the KBA, led by Broderick Young and Sam Rutherford, is undertaking a mammoth project to interview each of the judicial candidates, via Zoom, in the weeks leading up to the election. Those interviews will cover topics ranging from the reason why candidates chose to run for election to what they believe they can bring to the process to improve our system of justice. In addition, each candidate will have an opportunity to give a brief closing statement speaking on whatever issues they believe are important for the voters to know. These interviews will also be uploaded to the candidate profile section of the website for everyone to see. The interview project will provide candidates an opportunity in a non-political and loosely structured format to connect with voters and present their case for

holding office.

Additionally, please be on the lookout for the candidate member survey for judicial candidates, which was released on February 25th with a deadline to respond by March 11th. Pursuant to the recommendations of the Judicial Committee and the actions of the Board of Governors of your Association from two years ago, we have determined that lawyers are the best individuals to evaluate other attorneys and judges in their capacity to serve on the bench. The survey will ask members to evaluate candidates on a scale ranging from Strongly Recommend to Strongly Do Not Recommend, including an option for “Do Not Know.” Those results will be released to the public as well, in our continuing effort to better inform the citizenry. I encourage everyone to take the brief time necessary to complete the survey. The more responses we receive, the better the results of the survey will be and the more meaningful for those looking for additional information regarding the candidates.

A few notes on logistics. The qualifying petition deadline for filing for judicial office will have passed by the time this article goes to print. Early voting begins on Wednesday, April 13th and will end on April 28th. The Knox County primary election will be held on May 3, 2022. Between now and then, I believe it incumbent upon attorneys in this area to stress to the public the importance of judicial elections and do what we can to inform both ourselves and the citizenry concerning the qualifications and abilities of those running for judicial office. Please join the KBA in this effort. The results will have a meaningful impact upon our legal community and the community at large for years to come. Good luck to the candidates.