Newly appointed Republican Election Commission Chairman Tom Walker is at the center of a federal lawsuit filed in District Court that could cost Rutherford County tax payers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The suit filed in District Court against Walker and seven other Tennessee Republicans claims the defendants violated the United States Constitution by politicizing the selection of the County Election Administrator. Walker and several other Republicans gained control of county election commissions when their party got control of the House and Senate.
At the request of Rep. Kent Coleman (D-49), State Attorney General Bob Cooper issued an opinion in April warning election commissioners that politicizing the hiring and firing of County Election Administrators would violate the United States Constitution.
Attorney General Cooper recently issued another opinion stating counties will have to foot the bill for defending the unlawful acts in court. That means Tom Walker’s partisan antics could cost Rutherford County tax payers hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend.
Of course Election Commissioner Walker could have saved the county from having to defend his actions by simply upholding the law, but this is just the latest example of Walker’s disregard for the law and his open willingness to make the tax payers of Rutherford County pay for it.
Last month, Walker literally told local media that he didn’t care what the laws of Tennessee say when he attempted to defy the state’s open meetings law not once, but twice. It took the county attorney valuable time to educate him into compliance. Fellow Republican Election Commissioner Doris Jones supported Chairman Walker’s attempt to break the law saying to local media “we’ve got some crazy laws in this country.”
Read how Tennessee Republicans are preparing for the 2010 election:
- Fair elections in Tennessee held hostage by Republican agenda
- Rutherford County Attorney talks some sense into local Election Commission Chairman
- TBI calls Secretary of State’s claim of threat ‘unsubstantiated’
- Republican Election Commission Chair continues defiance of state law
- Sen. Bill Ketron’s (R-13) roadblock to the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act
[...] Republican Election Commissioner Tom Walker embroiled in federal lawsuit Rutherford County Democratic Party - PeopleRank: 3 - July 9, 2009 …Bob Cooper issued an opinion in April warning election commissioners that politicizing the hiring and firing of County Election Administrators would violate the United States Constitution. Attorney General Cooper recently issued another opinion stating… Cited people : Tennessee Republicans Tom Walker + vote [...]