Yes on 2

What Is Vote YES on 2?

 

  • Vote YES on 2 is the campaign to pass the Judicial Selection Amendment to our state constitution. The Judicial Selection Amendment is the second of four proposed amendments on the statewide ballot this November and is commonly referred to as Amendment 2.
  • Passing Amendment 2 strengthens the voice of Tennesseans in selecting our appellate court judges, so we get fair and impartial judges held accountable to the people of Tennessee.
  • Amendment 2 improves the way we select the judges who serve on our statewide appellate courts: the five Supreme Court justices, the twelve judges on the Court of Appeals, and the twelve judges on the Court of Criminal Appeals.
  • Amendment 2 does NOT change the selection process for trial court judges, who run in local elections.
 

How Does Amendment 2 Strengthen the Voice of Tennessee Voters?

More than two-thirds of our elected representatives in the Tennessee General Assembly voted in two consecutive legislative sessions to add Amendment 2 to the statewide ballot this fall. It will be 2 of four proposed amendments on the November 4, 2014, ballot”“with early voting starting on October 15.

Here’s the text of Amendment 2 as it will appear on the statewide ballot. It is proposed that Article VI, Section 3 of the Constitution of Tennessee be amended by deleting the first and second sentences and by substituting instead the following:

 

Judges of the Supreme Court or any intermediate appellate court shall be appointed for a full term or to fill a vacancy by and at the discretion of the governor; shall be confirmed by the legislature; and thereafter, shall be elected in a retention election by the qualified voters of the state. Confirmation by default occurs if the Legislature fails to reject an appointee within sixty calendar days of either the date of appointment, if made during the annual legislative session, or the convening date of the next annual legislative session, if made out of session. The Legislature is authorized to prescribe such provisions as may be necessary to carry out Sections two and three of this article.”

Amendment 2 improves the way we select our judges who serve on our statewide appellate courts. Amendment 2 does NOT change the selection process for trial court judges, who run in local elections.

By passing Amendment 2, Tennesseans will gain three powerful votes in the selection of our appellate court judges:

  1. By voting for the Governor who will make the appointments;
  2. By voting for our State Senators and State Representatives who will confirm or reject the appointments;
  3. By voting to keep or fire the judges at the end of their respective terms.

By passing Amendment 2, the voice of the people will clearly be heard.

What is Yes on 2?

  • It protects the right of Tennesseans to vote to keep or fire the judges at the end of their respective terms.
  • It adds a new layer of accountability by having our elected representatives in the Legislature confirm or reject the Governor’s appointees.
  • It helps keep the influence of special interest money away from our judges and out of our state.
  • Judges are like referees. They need to be unbiased and apply the law fairly, not make rulings based on campaign contributions. We need the best judges, not the best politicians.

Visit  http://voteyes2.org to find out more information.