I reaffirm all of what follows as accurate statements of my philosophies and beliefs on February 11, 2006.
PREFACE
What follows are excerpts from the portion of the Application for Attorney General, filed by Larry E. Parrish on November 30, 1998. The excerpts come from the narrative responses to questions posited on the Application. The historical and non-narrative portions of the Application do not appear below. The purpose of what appears below is to provide a reader highlights from the Application that are easily accessible, without the explanations that are provided in context, from which the excerpts come.
EXCERPTS
[P]assionate in my desire to see racial discrimination in the
workplace eliminated. (cover letter p.1-2)
[S]exual harassment in the workplace.
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[C]an be no let-up until this problem is eliminated. (cover letter p.2)
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[L]aw...provides the opportunity to assist real persons in real life situations in finding solutions to their problems.
[L]aw creates precedent [out of]...the solutions [formed]...and, hopefully, reduces materially the reoccurrence of the problems in the future.
It is this aspect of the practice of law which drove me to become a lawyer... .(App. Ques. 34 p. 24)
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When I completed law school,...expected to spend my...life...field of antitrust law... .
I changed my mind only after realizing that I preferred not to raise my family in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles or, possibly, Cleveland, Washington, D.C. or San Francisco.
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Because of preference to remain in Memphis, I chose to launch out in private practice and find out where it led. (App Ques. 34 p.25)
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Management Trainee Experience
State of Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration (App. Ques. 50 p.56)
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[A]m a full disclosure person who expects full disclosure from others. (App. Ques. 51 p. 56)
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"[H]alf-truth"...most despicable of lies.
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My "politics"..doctrinaire and.., nonpartisan.
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[M]ost comfortable in groups where dissent is not frowned on..., where protocol does not rule substance...
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I believe that patronage is a threat to good government in the United States.
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[H]atch Act...ardent advocate of the philosophy.
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[I] concluded that much of the problem with public corruption has its roots in partisan politics infiltrating government operations.
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[N]ever...fail to take action which ought to be taken because...threat to sue me
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[I]f I could be cowed or intimidated by threats against me, personally...no right to be a lawyer.
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It was a privilege beyond measure to be mentored by a person (Mr. Tom Turley) who would protect me and support me as I put this theory into actual practice.
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One of the most disheartening events I have had to witness through the years is the abandonment of public trust on the part of public servants, who become immobilized out of sense of fear that, if they do what they know they ought to do, they "might" be sued.
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[N]ullification of law by illegitimate prioritization... . [B]ecause of personal predilections or philosophies...antithetical to a particular law, the law he/she is charged to enforce is prioritized into extinction.
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Mr. Turley did not simply decry this practice in the abstract.
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He had no use for the National Firearms Act imposing gun controls which he considered to be unconstitutional.
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[A]nti-obscenity laws, he was candid to express to me his personal belief that these laws were unconstitutional.
As the United States Attorney, Mr. Turley took an oath to enforce all of the laws of the United States. He did not reserve unto himself any right to effectively nullify such of those laws as he considered to be unwise or, for that matter, unconstitutional.
[H]e assigned to me...firearms violations and the obscenity law violations. He gave me instructions to enforce those laws zealously... .
If he had allowed his personal beliefs...to interfere with...duties...he could have "prioritized" these violations and made his will superior to that of Congress and the courts. (App Ques. 51 p. 58)
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[N]ever changed my performance of the...job before me... because of public outcry... .
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[A] person who...more interested in what people said about what he was doing than he was about what he was, in fact, doing...not to be trusted.
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[M]y task is to bring all of the skill, creativity and energy I can muster to enforcement of the law as it exists. Some...law I like, some I do not...most...have neither likes nor dislikes.
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[M]y opinion about whether a law ought to be law or not would never affect my performance responsibilities.
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I have conservative friends who feel I am too liberal and liberal friends who feel I am too conservative... . I cannot be counted on in advance to walk in lock-step with whatever the "conservative" or the "liberal" party-line is on whatever develops as the next issue.
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Since I function on an issue-by-issue basis, it is hard for me to fit too tightly in any predetermined mold. [P]eople who do not know me well enough to understand their error,...stereotype me. (App. Ques. 51 p. 59)
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[M]ake the Office all...ever could be as an instrument for good in Tennessee and the nation.
[A]chieving this goal...take all of the years I have left to give. (App. Ques. 51 p. 60)
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[I]n...areas of... weakness,...ability I have is..adequate. [I]n...strengths ...cannot conceive of any person more able... .
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Being Attorney General is nothing I see as a stepping stone... .
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[Attorney General is the] guarantor...that there is no corruption within government... . (App. Ques. 52 p. 60)
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[O]pportunity...to remain in the practice of law while, at the same time, being involved in government at a level where seeking solutions to the most serious societal problems can be daily fare. (App. Ques. 52 p. 61)
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[A]s a management trainee with the State, I worked directly under the Deputy Commissioner for Finance and Administration and, day in and day out, interacted with the budget officers who helped formulate and approve budgets... for the departments of State government. (App. Ques. 54 p. 61)
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[O]verseer of all legal issues involving the State... .
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[N]ecessity to intervene [initiate and defend] in litigation... .
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[M]onitor corporations...assure...corporate charters...not abused... .
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[I]ntervene on behalf of...charitable entities... .
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[G]uardian of the trust of public officials... .
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[M]anage the quasi-sovereign function of the State. (App. Ques. 55 p.61-62)
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[A]reas...nondelegatable,...[and]...if delegated,...amount to an abdication of public trust.
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I detest (and cannot tolerate) mediocrity. (App. Ques. 57 pp. 62-63)
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[A]ttorney General's Office should function, in form and in substance, as a very fine, well-tuned and state-of-the-art blue chip law firm.
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[I]mportant...have available employees who are initiators, self-starters, mission-oriented, knowledgeable in their respective areas of expertise, willing to be self-sacrificial and generally able to outperform their contemporaries in private practice.
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[T]here are incredibly bright young people able to be attracted into the paralegal field and trained to do, more proficiently and efficiently, tasks which most attorneys have concluded could only be done by lawyers.
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[T]he last intention I would have is giving up the practice of law. As Attorney General, I would be in the thick of the law on many different fronts.
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[A]ttorney General's Office attorneys...must be...able to handle cases before the Supreme Court.
If this is the skill level and they are cut off...be the equivalent of benching an all-star. The next thing the all-star does is ask to be traded ... [U]ndercut my ability to obtain and retain the attorneys who are essential to the Attorney General's Office being all that it ought to be.
[I] would expect personally to have input in every case presented to the Supreme Court...make reasoned judgments about...a personal appearance..., dependent on all...factors...considered at a given time. (App. Ques. 59 p. 65)
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[G]eneral Assembly,...[Attorney General's] first responsibility...be available at all times to respond in writing, in a totally nonpartisan way, to...requests related...member's official duty... .
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[A]dvice... free of... philosophical bias... .
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[P]ropriety of legislation or proposed legislation [concern of Attorney General] only when officially asked... .
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[A]ttorney General and staff should never, officially or unofficially, be involved in partisan politics of any kind for any reason... .
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[N]ever function as a lobbyist...never have...personal contact, official or unofficial, with any lobbyist.
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[S]hould never privately, publicly, officially or unofficially, engage in actions which have the appearance or a purpose which is to enhance the political fortune or the image of any political party, public interest group or candidate for office. (App. Ques. 60 p.65)
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[A]ttorney General...refrain...affiliation...public interest group...to the point of not voting in primary elections... .
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[C]ognizant...passage of legislation...is a finding by...General Assembly... legislation is constitutional, and...is controlling if plausible... .
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[C]ontinual duty...[to] General Assembly...continuously review statutes...make certain...remain able to pass constitutional muster... .
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If statutes become questionable...time...for the repair...before...issue... created in...litigation... .
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[N]ullification of law by nonenforcement. I consider illegitimate...requires serious and effective attention.
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Statutes need either to be officially repealed...or enforced... .
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[S]ome...statutes...need healthy public debate...as a prelude...whether to repeal.
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Attorney General to make this an ongoing project... . (App. Ques. 60 p. 66)
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[S]tatute...not important enough to be enforced...not important enough to be a statute at all.
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[L]egislative project...Attorney General...review...statutes which exist with internal inconsistencies...outdated terminologies...create confusion... .
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[Attorney General]...constantly keep...General Assembly apprised...need for legislative repair to old statutes.
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