Memphis City Council fights losing judgeships, voucher expansion
Memphis City Council member Michalyn Easter-Thomas sits in on a Jan. 9 council meeting. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
The Memphis City Council made its collective political voice heard Tuesday, April 10, passing resolutions that oppose the expansion of private-school vouchers in Tennessee and the potential loss of two Shelby County judgeships.
Both resolutions passed with almost unanimity; council Vice Chairman J. Ford Canale abstained on the voucher opposition.
Both resolutions are not binding and have little effect, but they express the body’s political will at a time when many members feel Shelby County’s autonomy is under threat from the Tennessee General Assembly.
Council member Michalyn Easter-Thomas, a former teacher and Memphis-Shelby County Schools employee, first proposed the anti-voucher resolution; others were later added as co-sponsors.
She said the bill does not prioritize public education.
‘We need our two seats’
The other resolution passed with no dissent as council members expressed concern about the impact of losing two judgeships and what it would do to the already long trial backlog.
Janika White, a council member, attorney and one-time candidate for Shelby County District Attorney General, said the loss of either judge seat would make the community less safe and delay justice.
“We need our two seats,” White said.
Council member Jerri Green, another attorney, said: “We can’t solve crime if we can’t prosecute crime. We can’t prosecute crime if we don’t have courts open.”
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Memphis City Council School vouchers Shelby CountySamuel Hardiman
Samuel Hardiman is an enterprise and investigative reporter who focuses on local government and politics. He began his journalism career at the Tulsa World in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he covered business and, later, K-12 education. Hardiman came to Memphis in 2018 to join the Memphis Business Journal, covering government and economic development. He then served as the Memphis Commercial Appeal’s city hall reporter and later joined The Daily Memphian in 2023. His current work focuses on Elon Musk’s xAI, regional energy needs and how Memphis and Shelby County government spend taxpayer dollars.
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