MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam says he has not had any communication with Attorney General Herbert Slatery about an upcoming vacancy on the Tennessee Supreme Court.
Slatery is a close Haslam friend and former top legal adviser in the Republican governor's Cabinet.
The state's highest court appointed Slatery to an eight-year term as attorney general last year, but the Sept. 8 retirement of Justice Gary Wade has raised questions about whether he may seek to move up to the Supreme Court bench.
The governor appoints Supreme Court justices in Tennessee, and Haslam acknowledged that "there has been a lot of speculation" surrounding Slatery's plans.
Because the attorney general is so close with the governor, other potential candidates will likely want to wait and see what Slatery decides before submitting an application.
(Copyright 2015 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
