NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Knoxville,
Tennessee – December 3, 2025 – Elliott Schuchardt, a candidate for the Tennessee General Assembly, says that Tennessee should elect its attorney
general, rather than appoint the position. This would be a change in the
law.
Tennessee uses a unique method for choosing the state’s attorney general.
The state Supreme Court chooses the attorney general for an eight-year
term.
Tennessee is the only state in the United States that selects its attorney
general in this manner. Virtually all other states have their voters
select the state attorney general, by means of an election. In five
states, the governor selects the attorney general. In one state – Maine –
the attorney general is selected by the state legislature.
Schuchardt contends that the Tennessee system is ripe for abuse.
According to Schuchardt, the Tennessee system centralizes too much power in
Tennessee. “We have too many un-elected positions in the state,” he
says. Schuchardt points out that the members of the state Supreme Court
are chosen by the governor, from a list chosen by a nominating committee.
As a result, he says, “the governor has significant control over both the
courts and the attorney general’s office.” There are few checks and
balances over large portions of the Tennessee government, as a result of the
system.
Schuchardt says that Tennessee’s form of government is typical of Latin
America, where one person in the government has control over both the executive
branch and the courts. “We need an attorney general who will stand up for
the people, rather than one who will always defend state insiders,” he
says. In addition, he says, “we need to open up this position to others
who want to run for office.” Schuchardt says that he is interested in
running for the position, if it becomes an elected position in the
future.
Schuchardt has filed a lawsuit against a government employee at the state’s Board of Professional Responsibility. In that lawsuit, Schuchardt alleges that the state ethics Board is filing cases against political candidates in Tennessee. Schuchardt has a list of more than fifty candidates attacked by the Board, in recent years. According to the complaint, the Board has filed ethics cases against two candidates for President of the United States, two candidates for governor of Tennessee, a former clerk for the U.S. Supreme Court, and two presidents of their county bar associations. Schuchardt is seeking the assistance of the attorney general in the case.
* * *
Elliott J. Schuchardt is a candidate
for the Tennessee General Assembly in the 2026 election. Schuchardt is the author of America’s
Achilles Heel: How to Protect Your
Family When America Loses the Reserve Currency.
Schuchardt is a graduate of Cornell
University and Columbia Law School. Schuchardt
practiced law for nearly thirty years, before running for office. He focused his legal practice on civil
liberties issues in the courts.
CONTACT:
Elliott J. Schuchardt
2322 Jockey Run Trail
Knoxville, TN 37920
Call or Text: (865) 304-4374
E-mail: elliott016@gmail.com
Campaign website: https://www.elect-schuchardt.com/
Book website: https://elliott-author.com
Twitter: https://x.com/EJSchuchardt
Book on Amazon: Amazon link
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