Attorney General Summers stepping down

Tennessee AG announces he will not seek office again when his term expires in August

Email | Print By Ken Whitehouse

Paul Summers

In a move that has been rumored for months, Tennessee Attorney General Paul G. Summers announced today that he will not seek a second term in the post when his current term expires in August.

In a statement to the press, Summers said he has found his service to be "the highest professional honor." The AG said that while managing 325 professionals is a job that might not appeal to others, it did appeal to him. "I have worked with quintessential lawyers and professionals," he said. "I will never forget the privilege I have had to serve Tennessee in this capacity."

Summers has served as Tennessee Attorney General since January 1999. He did not divulge what his plans for the future are.

Speculation will immediately turn to who will replace Summers. Tennessee's Attorney General is appointed by members of the Tennessee Supreme Court, a majority of whose members by August will have been appointed by Gov. Phil Bredesen.

Major contenders to replace Summers will begin to surface quickly. Among them will likely be Bredesen's chief legal counsel, Bob Cooper. 

When contacted by NashvillePost.com about the possibilities of Cooper moving to the Attorney General's office, Bob Corney, Communication's Director for Bredesen, stated: "Bob is eminently qualified for this kind of role, if this is something he is interested in pursuing. The Governor definitely would be supportive. It would be a loss for the Governors office but a gain for the state."