UPDATE: 10:30 pm November 17, 2025 Commissioner Lee messaged me the following, “No I will recuse myself from the vote for the interim judge.”

Original Post November 17, 2025: Knox County Commissioner Rhonda Lee (R-District 7) has filed an Appointment of Treasurer to be a candidate in the race for Knox County General Sessions Judge, Division IV, in the Republican Primary set for May 5, 2026 (with early voting from April 15–30, 2026).

On November 14, 2025, Lee filed the Appointment of Treasurer form with the Knox County Election Commission, designating the same campaign treasurer she previously named in her August 27, 2025 filing for re-election to her current County Commission seat.

This move comes just weeks after General Sessions Judge Andrew Jackson VI announced on October 31, 2025, that he will resign effective December 31, 2025, creating a mid-term vacancy in Division IV.

Under Tennessee law, the Knox County Commission — where Lee currently serves — is responsible for interviewing applicants and appointing an interim judge to fill the seat from January 2026 until the winner of the 2026 election takes office on September 1, 2026.

This raises an obvious question: Will Commissioner Lee participate in interviewing and voting to appoint the very person who could become her direct opponent (or temporary replacement) in the upcoming judicial race?

The situation highlights a potential ethical gray area, as the commissioner poised to run for the full term would help select who holds the seat — and its inherent advantages — during the interim period. I have not had the opportunity to request a public comment from Lee or the Commission on a possible recusal as the Commission are in the November business meeting.