Republican election commissioners voted to spend Rutherford County tax payer money on lawyers from Chattanooga to defend themselves in a federal lawsuit. The lawsuit filed in District Court yesterday against Republican Election Commission Chair Tom Walker and seven other Republicans across the state alleges violations of the United States Constitution for partisan selections of County Election Administrators.
Republicans gained a 3-2 majority on county election commissions across the state of Tennessee when Republicans took control of the House and Senate. The plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit (view the lawsuit here) will argue in District Court that Republican defendants violated federal law by making hiring decisions for non-policy making positions based on party affiliation. This is the third time within a month that Republican Election Commissioner Walker has had a run-in with the law.
Apparently Republican election commissioners don’t feel there is a single attorney in Rutherford County capable or willing to defend their actions in a District Court. The bill to defend Rutherford County Republicans could cost Rutherford County tax payers hundreds of thousands of dollars, all of which will now line the pockets of Chattanooga lawyers.
Here is the story from the Daily News Journal.
The Rutherford County Election Commission voted 3-2, along party lines this evening to hire two Chattanooga attorneys to represent the three Republican members of the commission named in a federal lawsuit Wednesday.
A civil lawsuit was filed in federal court late Wednesday on behalf of eight administrators of elections who were allegedly terminated or have been threatened with termination on the sole basis of their perceived or actual political party affiliation.
The Election Commission also voted unanimously, due to the federal litigation, to defer action on the 90 applications for administrator of elections until its Aug. 3 meeting.
