MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A judge Tuesday dismissed an effort to remove Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert from office.
The judge ruled that Coty Wamp, the East Tennessee district attorney who filed the ouster petition, did not have jurisdiction.
“We’re obviously disappointed in the outcome,” Wamp said in a press conference after the ruling. “All we can hope, maybe, is that someone else will pick it up. If they don’t, it may be a long two years.”
A petition to remove Halbert from office was filed May 6, after complaints from citizens and elected officials about Halbert’s performance as clerk, citing “willful neglect to perform a duty” and “Inaccurate and Untimely Financial Reporting” as the reasons for removal.
The case was brought by the Hamilton County District Attorney, who was appointed as an independent prosecutor at the Shelby County D.A.’s request.
Halbert’s attorney Darrell O’Neal said afterward that the state’s ouster statute outlines who can perform the removal of an elected official, and an outside district attorney is not on that list. That was the basis of his second motion to dismiss the case.
“As of today there is no pending litigation to remove Ms. Halbert,” he said.
O’Neal said Halbert will do whatever she needs to do to get her office running efficiently. He also said she has a plan in place to open more office locations.
Halbert’s term ends in 2026.
Wamp said she wished the best for Shelby County, and for Halbert and her office. She said Halbert needs to hire staff and open another office, and has the funds and applications to do it — but hasn’t.
“I don’t think the Shelby County Clerk’s Office or Ms. Halbert are a lost cause,” Wamp said. “She has so many people who want her to do well.”