John Jay Hooker has been a prominent Democrat in Tennessee for decades, and he is also notable for being the first friend of Ross Perot’s to suggest to Perot that he run for President. Hooker was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Tennessee in 1970 and 1998, but he didn’t win either time.

Hooker has been arguing for decades that the current system of judicial appointment in Tennessee violates the State Constitution, which says the judges shall be “elected” by the people. Since 1994, Tennessee Supreme Court Judges do not run for re-election; instead, at intervals, the voters are asked if they wish to retain the particular judge. Here is Hooker’s analysis of why that system violates the State Constitution.

On June 24, Hooker’s lawsuit will be heard in state court. Previous lawsuits of his, and similar lawsuits, filed in both federal and state courts, have always encountered procedural roadblocks. See this story.