Knoxville attorney withdraws from Appeals Court quest amid partisan politics

A Knoxville lawyer dropped her bid for the Tennessee Court of Appeals after getting pushback over past support for Democratic candidates. (Photo: Getty Images)

Knoxville attorney Rachel Hurt dropped her bid for a Tennessee Court of Appeals post this week after Republican senators raised questions about her support for Democratic candidates in the last decade.

Nominated by Gov. Bill Lee to serve in the post, Hurt was set to go before the Senate Judiciary Committee for confirmation but couldn’t muster enough votes to garner the appointment. She is a partner in Arnett, Baker, Draper and Hagood law firm.

Hurt’s bid was thwarted by Republican senators who brought up a 2016 political contribution she made to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. She also ran into problems because of Facebook posts she made eight years ago saying she would support a Democratic candidate running against Republican Sen. Richard Briggs of Knoxville.

Briggs confirmed Wednesday that senior senators came to his office this week and told him about Hurt’s backing of those Democratic candidates during the last 10 years. He said he had no problem with Hurt and was set to introduce her to the Judiciary Committee, but he told the Lookout he opted against it out of concern it would come back to haunt him in future political races.

That was rendered moot, though, when Hurt, a Knoxville resident, backed out of the confirmation vote. The Tennessee Journal initially reported on the matter.

When making the nominations, Lee called the candidates “highly qualified individuals” and said he valued their experience.

Instead of taking up the Hurt question, lawmakers approved the appointments of Criminal Appeals Court Judge Kyle Hixson to the Tennessee Supreme Court and Chancellor Steve Maroney to the Tennessee Court of Appeals.

During the meeting, Democratic Sen. London Lamar of Memphis asked both candidates if they felt politics should play a role in judicial rulings. Both said absolutely not.