Thu
Jan 11 2007
07:14 pm
By: R. Neal
The Knoxville News Sentinel is reporting that the Tennessee Supreme Court decision on the validity of Knox County's charter will be issued tomorrow at 3:00 PM. Should be an interesting afternoon...
My prediction: The charter will be upheld (possibly with an order for a referendum to incorporate the changes and clarifications from the recent charter review committee ed. note: duh, see comments) and hilarity will ensue.
|
Topics:
|
|
Discussing:
- Behind Lege Lies (1 reply)
- Peace (1 reply)
- Speak your truth, fight and believe. (1 reply)
- Large banks have too much AI data center debt? (1 reply)
- GOP misleading on federal health care funding (1 reply)
- Feds indict civil rights group (3 replies)
- Georgia issues burn ban, first time in state history (2 replies)
- State of TN proposes exempting voucher students from standardized testing (1 reply)
- UAE asks for financial assistance? (1 reply)
- Are our deployed military going hungry? (1 reply)
- Tennessee passes bill to restrict college students' protests (1 reply)
- Inflation up, gas up, food up, consumer sentiment lowest ever (1 reply)
TN Progressive
- Pellissippi Parkway extension delayed again (BlountViews)
- Blount County early voting record turnout (BlountViews)
- Louisville, TN, town center coming soon? (BlountViews)
- Siemens expending in Blount County, But... (BlountViews)
- WATCH THIS SPACE. (Left Wing Cracker)
- America As It Is Right Now (RoaneViews)
- A friend sent this: From Captain McElwee's Tall Tales of Roane County (RoaneViews)
- The Meidas Touch (RoaneViews)
- Massive Security Breach Analysis (RoaneViews)
- (Whitescreek Journal)
- My choices in the August election (Left Wing Cracker)
- July 4, 2024 - aka The Twilight Zone (Joe Powell)
TN Politics
- New student loan limits challenged by Democratic attorneys general, governors in lawsuit (TN Lookout)
- NFL tabs Nashville for Super Bowl LXIV (TN Lookout)
- Trump drops IRS suit in trade for $1.7B ‘anti-weaponization’ fund decried by Dems (TN Lookout)
- Report: NFL owners to vote on holding Super Bowl LXIV in Nashville (TN Lookout)
- Three federal challenges to Tennessee redistricting now assigned to same judge (TN Lookout)
- Tennessee once sent real leaders to D.C. during economic crises and war. Now they fail us. (TN Lookout)
Knox TN Today
- John Alexander: He was a Continental soldier (Knox TN Today)
- Do not forsake Alex Haley (Knox TN Today)
- Smoky Mountain Quilters + Big donation + City Council update ++ (Knox TN Today)
- Above & Beyond: Seniors turn lemons into aid for wildlife (Knox TN Today)
- Dr. Benjamin Rogozinski performs first in the region (Knox TN Today)
- 2026 Honor Fountain City Day in the Park (Knox TN Today)
- Six months later: How are those 2026 Resolutions going? (Knox TN Today)
- Farragut Museum opens new temporary exhibit (Knox TN Today)
- 5/19 HEADLINES: News and events from Knox the World, the USA, Tennessee, & Historic Notes (Knox TN Today)
- Veterans in two cemeteries honored (Knox TN Today)
- Twilight Tours of Maryville College return for 2026 (Knox TN Today)
- Barnes switch: Old dog and new trick (Knox TN Today)
Local TV News
- RAM hosting four free telehealth clinics in East Tennessee (WATE)
- NAACP calls for boycott of Southern college sports programs over voting rights (WATE)
- 'People to have a voice at the table' Task force formed to guide future of Claxton Elementary site (WATE)
- East TN students win prizes for STEM education at regional competition (WATE)
- South Knoxville bridge now honors Tennessee coaching great Johnny Majors (WATE)
- Ripken Experience brings $320 million of economic impact to Pigeon Forge since opening (WATE)
News Sentinel
State News
- Chattanooga Airport breaks April record, on track for new high - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Remember When, Chattanooga?: Reagan stepped into TVA hornet’s nest 50 years ago - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Motorcyclist killed in crash on Hixson Pike - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
- Whatever happened to these 11 ambitious Chattanooga projects? - Chattanooga Times Free Press (Times Free Press)
Wire Reports
- 56-year-old woman dead after falling into uncovered manhole in Midtown NYC - ABC7 New York (US News)
- Elon Musk breaks silence on OpenAI trial decision - Teslarati (Business)
- S&P 500 posts third straight losing session as rising yields drag down stocks: Live updates - CNBC (Business)
- Justice Department expands Trump settlement to cover his tax audits - Politico (US News)
- Senator Bill Cassidy says he has no regrets over Trump impeachment vote after Louisiana loss - The Guardian (US News)
- Trump delivers 11th-hour endorsement to Paxton in Texas Senate runoff - Axios (US News)
- Surging Bond Yields Add to Pressures Building for Fed’s Warsh - Bloomberg.com (Business)
- Graduates are booing pep talks on AI at college commencements - AP News (Business)
- Bond Yields Hit Highest Level Since 2007 as Inflation Fears Set In - The New York Times (Business)
- Trump halts 'major attack' on Iran, but ready to strike if Tehran won't give up nuclear weapon plans - Fox News (US News)
- I knew Amin Abdullah, the hero of the San Diego mosque shooting - Al Jazeera (US News)
- OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy joins Anthropic - Axios (Business)
- U.S. probing whether Chinese companies cut production of shipping containers before COVID pandemic - CBS News (US News)
- Rising Energy Prices and Data Centers Are at Center of a Utility Deal - The New York Times (Business)
- Horrid moment engine flies off UPS Flight 2976 just before Louisville crash that killed 15 - New York Post (US News)
Local Media
Lost Medicaid Funding
To date, the failure to expand Medicaid/TennCare has cost the State of Tennessee ? in lost federal funding. (Source)
Search and Archives
TN Progressive
Nearby:
- Blount Dems
- Herston TN Family Law
- Inside of Knoxville
- Instapundit
- Jack Lail
- Jim Stovall
- Knox Dems
- MoxCarm Blue Streak
- Outdoor Knoxville
- Pittman Properties
- Reality Me
- Stop Alcoa Parkway
Beyond:
- Nashville Scene
- Nashville Post
- Smart City Memphis
- TN Dems
- TN Journal
- TN Lookout
- Bob Stepno
- Facing South

Already done
(possibly with an order for a referendum to incorporate the changes and clarifications from the recent charter review committee)
Those changes were adopted by referendum in the November elections.
Duh. I completely forgot
Duh. I completely forgot about that. Thanks. So the stage is set for the fun and games to begin!
Tomorrow will be one of
Tomorrow will be one of those days that reporters live for. I'm going to have a hard time getting to sleep tonight. Boyoboyoboyoboy!!!!!!!!!!!
um...
Careful Beanster - your schadenfreude is showing...
Nah. It's not the
Nah.
It's not the destination, but the gettin' there. Although I do, as you know, have my druthers re the result, it's finding that second-day angle that's the challenge when you work for a weekly. PTL that we come out Sunday night, or it'd be a third-day angle.
Care to predict?
My guess
My prediction:
The charter will be upheld, but only as amended by the voters in November. The Court will find a clever way to conclude that the effective date of term limits will be tomorrow, the day the decision is made official. That will mean that the term-limited officials already sworn in will be allowed to serve out this term, but that's it. There won't be a special election to kick the bums out. The drama will subside fairly quickly.
--Socialist With A Gold Card
"I'm a socialist with a gold card. I firmly believe we need a revolution; I'm just concerned that I won't be able to get good moisturizer afterwards." -- Brett Butler
possibilities
Part I: There's a whole range of possible results.
From one end:
charter invalid, everyone stays in office because there's no term limits
to the other end:
charter valid, everyone (commission, clerks, register of deeds, sheriff, etc.) out.
But you might get a blend of the latter, with only some getting put out. If anyone goes, my guess is that it certainly will be commissioners.
Part II:
If the latter is decided, then there's the issue of when the office holders must get out.
On one end: term limits start now, so everyone now has two terms, starting now.
On the other end: everyone out as soon as your replacements are appointed at this month's commission meeting.
In between possibilities: you can serve out the present term (commissioners and sheriff then have almost 4 years left; and some clerks have a little less than 2 years to go), to the seats are up for grabs a) in a special called election, b) when the next regularly scheduled election is held (city election this fall, next state election next year, I believe).
Feel free to add possibilities, they are probably almost limitless.
My prediction: Charter
My prediction:
Charter valid, but there were flaws that were "cured" by the amendments passed in November.
County Commissioners, mayor and law director are term limited. So are fee officers, except for court clerks, who are protected along with the judiciary.
Sheriff's out.
Effective as soon as the election commission can set a special election.
but I forgot
there's the kink of those people who lost to the possibly term limited office holders, but filed suit contesting whether they could be on the ballot. There was the person out in Holston Hills who took on Diane "This is my Lifestyle" Jordan, and perhaps one other suit.
If the court says these term limited folks shouldn't have been on the ballot, does that mean the person above (and whoever else I forgot), goes into office?
And I forgot, is there a chance this ruling could apply term limits to the school board?
the next prediction
if some offices are term limited, is anyone going to have sour grapes enough to try to appeal to the US Supreme Court in a desperate try to hang on to power? That could be really sad.
I don't think there's a
I don't think there's a federal question in this case.
Removed by author
Discretion is the better part of valor.
Forget predictions
Private closed door meetings, backroom hand jobs and scotch is the only definite here. Everyone gets to finish their term regardless. KY jelly, bend over...repeat.
We ready!
I'm taping my ankles and running my head into the lockerroom wall in preparation for covering the day's events, starting with the commission/school board luncheon.
Should be some interesting happenings around the courthouse -- including a super-secret meeting with the law director at 4:30. They claim it's an "executive session" with their lawyer, but I maintain that, for the six of them who sued to overturn the charter, anyway, that their lawyers are John Valliant and Arthur Seymour Jr. The law director, who is paid by the taxpayers, was their opponent in this lawsuit.
Should the media crash this meeting?
Latest "insider" info I've
Latest "insider" info I've heard is that the SC is going to sustain Weaver's ruling and declare the charter invalid. In that case, there'll be no executive session and all will be peaceful and bright.
But, but, but.... where does this leave Knox County? What about all the actions it's taken under its home rule charter over the past 16-18 years?
I imagine I'll hear 25 more permutations over the course of the day.....
Big wheel keeps on turning.
Latest "insider" info I've
Latest "insider" info I've heard is that the SC is going to sustain Weaver's ruling and declare the charter invalid. In that case, there'll be no executive session and all will be peaceful and bright.
Is this the Mayor and County Commission to bring forward a new Charter? I hope your info is incorrect.
If the SC does uphold Weaver I would be interested to see the case law. I don't see how that is possible, except of course for politics. Politics makes all things possible.
contempt of common
Invalidating the charter would be profoundly antidemocratic, rendering the citizens of Knox County subservient to the competence and/or incompetence of the legal class. I will hold off on enumerating the perversions implicit in such an outcome until it actually happens. It had better not.
here comes Herb
According to the paper's web site, Herb is trying to get the closed door meeting with the commissioners open to the public.
Latest "insider" info I've
Latest "insider" info I've heard is that the SC is going to sustain Weaver's ruling and declare the charter invalid.
If this is the case, wouldn't they be contradicting their own ruling in Shelby County?
live coverage?
anybody got any suggestions for live coverage? somehow I don't see the TV stations breaking into Oprah or other afternoon shows for this but I'd sure like to be a fly on the wall...
If Beanster or somebody
If Beanster or somebody wants to go down there and phone in a play-by-play I'll live blog it.
opinion probably released here:
(link...)
I googled and found the above link.
Email your phone number to me and I'll call
Although you'll find out soon as I do--