The Tennessee Supreme Court unanimously held today that the Tennessee Republican Party and its State Executive Committee did not violate the Tennessee Open Meetings Act when they determined that Robby Starbuck would not be added to the ballot in the upcoming primary election for the U.S. House of Representatives 5th Congressional District because the law did not apply. The court found that the party was acting as a state executive committee when it determined Starbuck was not a bona fide Republican and removed him from the ballot. The Open Meetings Act applies to state boards but not to state executive committees, the court said.

After a lengthy debate, the Shelby County Commission has voted to fund a new voting system for the November general election, the Associated Press reports. Commissioners voted 9-4 to approve $5.8 million for the new system, which will let voters choose between paper ballots marked by hand or updated digital touchscreen machines that produce a paper readout. The Election Commission has sued the county over the voting system issue, arguing the current system is down to three servers which might not survive the August election. County Commissioner Van Turner had argued it was too late to change the system before the next election. The machines will be purchased from Election Systems & Software, or ES&S.

The Tennessee Republican Party is appealing last week’s decision to reinstate 5th Congressional District hopeful Robby Starbuck to the primary ballot, the Murfreesboro Post reports. Davidson County Chancellor Russell Perkins ruled last week that the party’s private meeting to remove Starbuck from the ballot violated the state’s open meetings act. He ordered Starbuck’s name be returned to the ballot. The Court of Appeals must first decide if they will hear the appeal and then potentially hear the case this week. The deadline to finalize ballots for the Aug. 4 primary is Friday.

Davidson County Chancellor Russell Perkins ruled Friday that the Tennessee Republican Party violated the state open meetings act when it met in private to remove Robby Starbuck from the primary ballot in the 5th Congressional District race. In declaring the removal void, Perkins ruled that Starbuck’s name should be restored to the ballot, Tennessee News Journal reports. The party could decide to appeal but the timing is tricky; the deadline to finalize ballots for the Aug. 4 primary is Friday. The Journal has the opinion.

Attorney Amanda Moore has announced she will be running to keep her seat on the school board for Murfreesboro City Schools. Moore, co-founder of the Tennessee Center for Estate and Elder Law PLLC, has served on the board for four years. A member of the Rutherford-Cannon County Bar Association and the Middle Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women, Moore has taught as an adjunct at Vanderbilt Law School and Middle Tennessee State University. She is a graduate of Yale Law School. In the release announcing her campaign, Moore says she has “worked hard to be transparent, accessible, and fair” through difficult times, including the loss of the director of schools, rezoning and a global pandemic.

Morgan Ortagus, a former candidate for U.S. House in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, has joined the team of her former opponent in the race, the Associated Press reports. Ortagus will now co-chair the National Security Advisory Committee for the campaign of GOP congressional candidate Kurt Winstead. Ortagus was removed from the ballot after the state Republican Party determined she, and two other candidates, did not meet party “bona fides.” Ortagus was the State Department spokesperson under former President Donald Trump and has recently launched a national security advocacy group.

Stephanie Gatewood, a nominee for Shelby County juvenile court clerk, is challenging her loss earlier this month in the Democratic primary, the Commercial Appeal reports. Gatewood, who came in third, is challenging the win of Janeen Gordon with the state primary board, claiming Gordon misled the public by using her mother's well-known name — Fullilove — on campaign materials and on the ballot. Gordon listed “Janeen Gordon” on early signage and with the County Election Commission, but on later signage and on the actual ballot she was listed as "Janeen Fullilove Gordon." She is the daughter of current Juvenile Court Clerk Janis Fullilove, but is not the daughter of Fullilove’s former husband, Fred Fullilove, and has never legally changed her name to Fullilove. Two other Democratic primary candidates, Althea Greene and Eric Winston, are also contesting their narrow losses for County Commission in Districts 7 and 11, respectively.

John Legend is an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award-winning entertainer, who recently kicked off a Las Vegas residency and just released a new single. But he is also a well-known activist and advocate for criminal justice reform and voting rights, National Public Radio reports. Now he is throwing his support behind a number of prosecutors who are running on a promise to reform the criminal justice system. Among the states capturing his interest are Tennessee, North Carolina, Oregon and California. In a series of tweets, Legend specifically points out the district attorney race in Memphis. In an interview with NPR, Legend discusses progressive prosecutors, the criminal justice system and President Joe Biden's approach to policing.

Hamilton County Judge Alex McVeagh will now be the only candidate running in the Aug. 4 non-partisan general election for the Second Division of Hamilton County General Sessions Court. Chattanoogan.com reports that both of his former opponents have withdrawn from the race. They indicated they only entered the race because they believed McVeagh might be chosen to replace outgoing Criminal Court Judge Tom Greenholtz, who was appointed to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. McVeagh has indicated that he will continue to seek reelection to his current seat.

The Tennessee Registry of Election Finance will not investigate a complaint filed against Rep. Paul Sherrell, R-Sparta, saying it would not be “weaponized” in the state House District 43 race, Tennessee Lookout reports. The complaint had said that Sherrell wrote checks to volunteer fire halls from his campaign account and asked for cash back to use for personal purposes. Sherrell said he used the cash to pay for breakfasts for firefighters.