Governor Bill Haslam has appointed a special Tennessee Supreme Court to hear a case from which four Supreme Court justices have recused themselves.
He said "the highly qualified and diverse appointees represent the three grand divisions of Tennessee."
The special court appointees are:
Oscar C. “Bo” Carr III, an attorney with Glankler Brown PLLC in Memphis for 37 years, where he has concentrated his practice in litigation, with an emphasis on business, construction, environmental and other civil litigation. Attorney Carr was named the Memphis Best Lawyers Environmental Litigation Lawyer of the Year for 2014. He was named Memphis Best Lawyers Construction Litigation Lawyer of the Year for 2013 and recipient of numerous honors and awards in his career. Attorney Carr received a B.A. in 1973 from the University of Virginia and a juris doctorate in 1976 from Emory University.
Rosemarie L. Hill, chair of the labor and employment section of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel in Chattanooga, where she represents employers on a variety of employment-related issues, both in and out of court. Her trial practice also includes trade regulation, business litigation, and representation of tax-exempt, nonprofit, and educational institutions. She is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the Tennessee and Chattanooga Bar Foundations, and has been listed in Best Lawyers in America for antitrust litigation, commercial litigation and labor and employment litigation. In her first 15 years of practice, attorney Hill accepted numerous court-appointed criminal defense trials and appeals. She received a B.A. from George Mason University and graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1984.
Thomas M. Hale, a partner with Kramer Rayson attorneys at law in Knoxville. Attorney Hale has been listed in Best Lawyers in America from 2008-2011, has been town attorney for the Town of Farragut, and served as chairman of the board of directors of the Knoxville Bar Foundation, president of Legal Aid of East Tennessee and president of the Knoxville Bar Association. He has extensive experience in commercial litigation and local government and regulatory matters. He has tried civil cases in federal and state courts throughout East Tennessee. Attorney Hale received a B.A., M.B.A. and J.D. from the University of Tennessee.
Melvin J. Malone, a partner in the Nashville office of Butler Snow, where he is the leader of the government and regulatory practice group. His areas of emphasis are telecommunications; public utilities; governmental relations; commercial litigation; and administrative law. He has been listed in Best Lawyers in America since 2011. Attorney Malone, who previously served as chairman of the Tennessee Regulatory Authority, is a member of the Nashville Bar Association, Tennessee Bar Association, American Bar Association, and Napier-Looby Bar Association. Malone is currently serving his second term as chairman of 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee, Inc. The immediate past chairman of the Tennessee State University Foundation Board of Trustees, he received a B.S. and J.D. from the University of Tennessee.
The special Supreme Court will decide the case of Hooker et al v. Lt. Governor Ramsey et al. Supreme Court Justice Janice M. Holder did not recuse herself from the bench in the case.