40-30-203 - Establishment Composition. - Tennessee Statutes

40-30-203. Establishment Composition.

(a)  There is hereby established a Tennessee post-conviction defender commission. The members of the commission appointed under this section shall have a commitment to the constitutional rights of all individuals. The members of the commission shall be appointed with a conscious intention of reflecting a diverse mixture with respect to race, including the dominant ethnic minority population, and gender. The commission is composed of the following nine (9) members:

     (1)  Two (2) members appointed by the governor;

     (2)  Two (2) members appointed by the lieutenant governor;

     (3)  Two (2) members appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; and

     (4)  Three (3) members appointed by the supreme court of Tennessee.

(b)  The term of office of each member of the commission is four (4) years. A vacancy occurring among the members of the commission before the expiration of a term shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments. An appointment to fill a vacancy occurring before the expiration of a term is for the remainder of the unexpired term.

(c)  To stagger the terms of the commission members, the initial term shall be as follows:

     (1)  The initial term of the members appointed by the governor shall be one (1) year;

     (2)  The initial term of the members appointed by the lieutenant governor shall be two (2) years;

     (3)  The initial term of the members appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives shall be three (3) years; and

     (4)  The initial term of the members appointed by the supreme court shall be four (4) years.

[Acts 1995, ch. 510, § 1; T.C.A. § 40-30-303.]