Gov. Haslam, Bredesen to discuss Amendment 2 at UT on Wednesday

Posted at 11:34 am September 15, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Bill Haslam

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and former Governor Phil Bredesen will discuss a constitutional amendment that could affect the judicial system during a Wednesday celebration of Constitution Day at the University of Tennessee.

Amendment 2 to the Tennessee Constitution will be on the ballot in November. It proposes new checks and balances to the governor’s appointment of Supreme Court and intermediate appellate court judges. It also protects the rights of Tennesseans to vote to retain or replace those judges in retention elections, UT said in a press release.

Haslam and Bredesen will discuss the amendment at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Toyota Auditorium of the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy. The discussion will be moderated by Doug Blaze, dean of UT’s College of Law.

It’s part of the Baker Center’s celebration of Constitution Day on Wednesday. Free and open to the public, the day’s events will also include:

10:30 a.m.—Baker Fellow Mary English will hold an informal discussion of Amendment 1 over coffee in the Rotunda Reading Room. Amendment 1 addresses legislative powers regarding abortion and will be on the ballot this November.
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.—Baker ambassadors will invite students to sign a copy of the Constitution and register to vote on the Johnson-Ward Pedestrian Walkway.
(2 p.m.—The governors discuss Amendment 2.)
All day—Students can register to vote in the Baker Center Rotunda.

Constitution Day is an American federal observance that commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution by 39 delegates on September 17, 1787, and recognizes all who have become U.S. citizens. This day is celebrated in schools, churches, and other organizations through a range of educational events and activities.

The Baker Center is a nonpartisan institute devoted to education and research concerning public policy and civic engagement. For more information, visit http://bakercenter.utk.edu.

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