Faced with a possible challenge from a well-known Democrat with a statewide following, Nashville’s only openly Republican judge is seriously considering a political defection in hopes of increasing her chances in next year’s countywide elections.
Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle, twice appointed to chancery vacancies by Gov. Don Sundquist, also a Republican, is faced with a daunting decision. Based on advice from lawyers and friends in both political parties, Lyle says she is considering running as a Democrat in next year’s judicial election, when her opponent may be former Tennessee Public Service Commissioner Frank Cochran. Cochran served on the PSC for 18 years before the agency was abolished and then replaced under Sundquist’s administration.
Lyle suffered a disappointing defeat last year when she tried to retain her chancery-court appointment in a popular election. She ran on the Republican ticket last August against Carol McCoy, a local Democrat, who upstaged Lyle with 54 percent of the vote.
Shortly thereafter, when another chancery vacancy came up, Sundquist again appointed Lyle to the bench.
Though she is well-liked and respected in the Nashville legal community, Lyle is in a difficult spot. She had hoped the state Legislature would pass a bill this year allowing non-partisan judicial elections in Davidson County. It didn’t. Thus, if she sticks to her principles and runs on the Republican ticket, she might very well lose the job she loves. If she runs as a Democrat, she’ll be dubbed a turncoat. In the worst possible scenario, she might run as a Democrat and still lose the election. If that happens, she’ll have lost both her job and, perhaps, some Republican friends—maybe even Don Sundquist.
Cochran, who is semi-retired from the legal profession, says he is “considering” a bid for the chancery court. He adds that even if Lyle does switch parties, he still might enter the race.
Lyle is one of the least political and most conscientious judges in the Metro Courthouse. Even though it’s common practice for local judges to show up at their own fundraisers, Lyle did not attend a recent fundraiser for her campaign. Fearing that she might violate the code of judicial conduct, which states that judges aren’t supposed to know who their donors are, Lyle merely sent along a thank-you letter that all her supporters could read.
Lyle says she’s struggling with the decision of whether or not to go Democrat, but she also says she’ll make up her mind soon, so that others can make their plans. “If anyone could explain to me the substantive premise of why judges run on a partisan ticket, this would be easier,” she says.
