MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Senate passed Senate Resolution 120, allowing Senator Brent Taylor to examine allegations against Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy and other district attorneys.
“After discussions with Senate leadership, we agreed the serious nature of these allegations warrants a judicial, rather than legislative review,” said Sen. Brent Taylor. “This approach helps maintain impartiality while reinforcing the importance of holding all public officials accountable. I’m grateful for the support of Lt. Governor McNally and my Senate colleagues, and I urge the Tennessee Supreme Court to act swiftly to protect the integrity of our justice system.”
This is after Senator Taylor’s resolution in January.
“So you may ask, ‘Alright, why the Supreme Court?’ Well, the Supreme Court has this authority currently,” Taylor said. “And the statute reads that the Supreme Court is to take affirmative and appropriate action to correct or alleviate any condition or situation adversely affecting the administration of justice within the state, and so that’s exactly what we’re asking the Supreme Court to do.”
Taylor’s new resolution will call for a judicial committee to not only review the claims against D.A. Mulroy, but also two others in Tennessee — D.A. Glen Funk of Nashville and D.A. Chris Stanford of McMinnville.
The resolution will include Senator Taylor’s initial allegations against the Shelby County District Attorney.
Mulroy is a frequent target of Taylor, who believes the D.A. is soft on criminals and has “committed serious ethical violations and abused his authority by pursuing a personal and partisan agenda,” according to the proposed language of the bill.
Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally sent a formal request to the Tennessee Supreme Court, urging the formation of a three-to-five-member panel of legal professionals in the judicial community to evaluate misconduct allegations against the three district attorneys and make recommendations to the General Assembly on how to proceed.
McNally also called on the state Supreme Court to form a new oversight panel for district attorneys, modeled after the Board of Judicial Conduct, which oversees judges and attorneys, to handle future misconduct allegations against DAs.
