The Tennessee Supreme Court has agreed to hear oral arguments in the legal battle surrounding the date of the upcoming mayoral election to replace former mayor Megan Barry.
An attorney representing Ludye Wallace -- a qualified candidate for Mayor who is also the head of the Nashville chapter of the NAACP -- filed an appeal directly to the Tennessee Supreme Court on Thursday, March 15 asking for an emergency review of the chancery court decision.
On Wednesday, March 14, Davidson County Chancery Court Chancellor Claudia Bonnyman ruled that the mayoral election should take place on August 2, siding with a decision made by the Davidson County Election Commission on Friday, March 9.
Wallace's attorney Jamie Hollin filed the appeal to the Tennessee Supreme Court. He has argued that both the Metro Charter and Tennessee codes say the election needs to be held in May, based on the definition of the words "general Metropolitan election" in the Metro Charter.
Chancellor Bonnyman agreed with a broader definition of that term argued by Metro's legal department on Wednesday, following an interpretation that would keep the election set on August 2.
Thursday, the Tennessee Supreme Court released an order stating the court has assumed jurisdiction of the appeal and will expedite the briefing schedule. Read the full order here.
