Shelby County Democrats are threatened with the prospect of being overtaken again by Republicans in the Aug. 7 elections due to a series of Democratic misadventures and GOP's substantial edge in financial resources, the Memphis Flyer reports. The publication profiles the candidates of key state and county races including the District Attorney race between incumbent Amy Weirich and former Criminal Court Judge Joe Brown.

In a New York Times opinion piece, attorney Dorothy J. Samuels ponders whether we can have impartial courts if judges campaign like ordinary politicians. Expensive state judicial elections are “destined to undermine the core American principle of fair and impartial courts,” she states. Samuels worries that if the campaign to oust Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Gary Wade and Justices Cornelia Clark and Sharon Lee is successful, it may send an intimidating message to elected judges nationwide, who may hesitate to render correct but controversial rulings, especially near an election.

A series of botched executions, shortages of drugs for lethal injections and moves in several states to abandon execution have reignited the debate in the U.S. about the death penalty. The most recent report of an Arizona inmate who gasped for more than an hour and a half during his execution is sure to add to the scrutiny surrounding the death penalty, WATE notes. In a BBC radio program, correspondent Rajini Vaidyanathan travels across Tennessee speaking with people on both sides of the debate about the legislature’s recently passed law re-introducing the electric chair if drugs for lethal injection become unavailable.

Ashley L. Ownby has been elected as the new president of the Bradley County Bar Association. Joining Ownby in leading the association are Vice President and President-elect Jerry Hoffer, Secretary Daniel Clanton and Treasurer Rex Wagner. The Cleveland Banner has the story.

Gov. Bill Haslam has appointed three Workers’ Compensations Appeals Board judges, all effective Aug. 1. Marshall Davidson of Goodlettsville will have a six-year initial term, David Hensley of Chattanooga will have a four-year term and Tim Conner of Knoxville will have a two-year term. The workers’ compensation appeals board reviews interlocutory and final orders entered by workers compensation judges. The Administrative Office of the Courts has more.

The Tennessee Conservative Union announced yesterday it is supporting Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Gary Wade for retention in the Aug. 7 election, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. The group, which led the move to reject former Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Penny White in 1996, issued a statement decrying partisan politics in the court system and praising Wade for upholding the Constitution. The statement said nothing about Justices Cornelia Clark or Sharon Lee.

The 15th Judicial District Bar Association hosted a rally in support of a YES retention vote for Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Connie Clark Tuesday at Cumberland University in Lebanon, the Lebanon Democrat and Wilson County News reports. Attendees included Retired Justice William Koch and members of the local bench, bar and public. Justice Clark’s stop in Lebanon is one of many such rallies being held across the state in support of retaining Chief Justice Gary Wade, Justice Sharon Lee and Justice Clark.

The Montgomery County and Tipton County bar associations today issued resolutions endorsing the retention of Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Gary Wade and Justices Cornelia Clark and Sharon Lee. The resolutions encourage citizens to vote in the Aug. 7 elections, specifically in support of the three incumbent justices. Nashville Bar Association President Charles K. Grant also is talking about the importance of the upcoming election, using his most recent column in the Nashville Bar Journal to break down the campaign, the issues and the players. The NBA has joined with other legal groups in the Coalition for Fair Courts, and Grant urges attorneys to use the resources available from the group to get involved in the election.

Hal Wilkes Wilkins was disbarred on July 22 on two complaints of misconduct. Wilkins was ordered to pay restitution to two former clients or to the Lawyer’s Fund for Client Protection, if appropriate, in the amount of $3,500. View the BPR notice.

Hamilton County lawyer H. Owen Maddux was reinstated to the practice of law on July 18. Maddux had been suspended on Aug. 9, 2013, for nine months. View the BPR notice.