Commissioners 2012

Members of the Nominating Commission are appointed by the Speakers of each house of the General Assembly, consistent with the method for selecting members of all Tennessee appellate courts.

Appointed by the Speaker of the Senate

• Sierra Faith, Lipscomb University, Nashville
• Frank Thornsbury, Welch College
• Rachel Lee, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro

Appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives

• Clay Stubblefield, Tennessee Tech, Cookeville
• Brooke Childers, Bethel University, McKenzie
• Betsy Swann, Rhodes College, Memphis

Chairman of the Nominating Commission

Mr. Joshua Pendergrass, esq., Pendergrass Law Firm, Albertville, Ala.

Related Links

Tennessee Supreme Court

Nominating Commission Picks Candidates

The process for selecting justices for the Tennessee Intercollegiate Supreme Court mirrors the process that Tennessee uses to select Supreme Court Justices.

The speakers of each house of the General Assembly appoint members to a nominating commission. In TISL's case, each speaker appoints three delegates from the previous TISL General Assembly.

The Board of Directors of the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature Foundation designates a chairman.

The Nominating Commission establishes the application process and its own selection criteria.

The Nominating Commission recommends a list of qualified nominees to the Governor. The Governor picks justices from the list, which is officially called a "panel".

The Governor of Tennessee can reject a panel and demand another list of nominees, but the TISL Governor doesn't have that option. The TISL Governor must select from the initial panel.

Selection by the Governor is the final step. Consistent with Tennessee practice, there is no confirmation.

The Nominating Commission is governed by Title 4, Section 2 of the Legal Code of the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature.

The Nominating Commission accepts applications in the spring and submits the panel of nominees to the Governor of TISL by October 1. The Governor appoints the Supreme Court justices before their term begins in November.