NASHVILLE (AP) — A Tennessee Bar Association survey of its lawyer members found nine out of 10 respondents support the retention of three state Supreme Court justices who are on the ballot in August.

Republican Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey is spearheading an effort to defeat Justices Connie Clark, Sharon Lee and Gary Wade, all of whom were appointed by then-Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat.

Supreme Court justices are appointed by the governor, and must stand for yes-no retention elections every eight years. Two Republicans recently named to the high court by Gov. Bill Haslam are not on the ballot.

The conservative lawyer group Tennesseans for Judicial Accountability criticized the survey for only focusing on the opinions of attorneys, who the group argues are not objective about the judges who rule on their cases.