NASHVILLE (AP) — First, the state Supreme Court hired Gov. Bill Haslam's top legal adviser as Tennessee's next attorney general. Now the high court's new chief justice is also adopting the Republican governor's rhetoric.
Haslam, who has made a "top to bottom review" of state government a catchphrase of his first term in office, on Wednesday presided over Sharon Lee's investiture as chief justice of the state's highest court.
Lee, who spearheaded the attorney general interview process that on Monday resulted in the selection of longtime Haslam friend and adviser Herbert Slatery, announced that she would also seek a "top to bottom review" of the judiciary and try to make the courts more business friendly.
Lee and two other Democratic justices were retained for another eight-year term on the court in August.