NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Applications are now open to fill a vacancy on the bench of Tennessee's highest court, but one heavy favorite -- should he chose to apply -- still won't divulge his plans.
State Attorney General Herbert Slatery, a longtime friend and adviser to Gov. Bill Haslam on legal and spiritual matters, has been coy about whether he would seek the Supreme Court position ever since Justice Gary Wade announced his plans to retire in July.
That didn't change with the opening of the application period Wednesday, a day after Wade's official retirement date. Slatery spokesman Harlow Sumerford says in an email that there has been no further discussion in the attorney general's office about the vacancy.
Potential applicants must hail from either the eastern or western sections of the state.
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