MBA members vote on best qualified judges MBA members vote on "best qualified" judges The Memphis Bar Association has announced the results of the associations Judicial Preference Poll concerning the contested elections in Circuit and Criminal Court and the General Sessions Court Clerks race, as well as its Judicial Retention Poll for Justice Penny White of the Tennessee Supreme Court and Judge Holly Lillard of the Court of Appeals, Western Section. The Judicial Preference Poll ballots, which were sent to all of the more than 1,600 Memphis Bar Association members, were completed and returned by 566 attorneys. In the Circuit Court Division 3 race, Judge Karen R. Williams received 270 votes as "best qualified," followed by George E. Blancett with 115 votes and Mimi Phillips with 79 votes as "best qualified." In the Criminal Court Division 4 race, Judge Carolyn Blackett received 222 votes and Herbert Lane received 174 votes as "best qualified." The votes for "best qualified" in the General Sessions Court Clerks race were Chris Turner with 358, Joe Cooper with 51, John Ford with 36 and Tony Rush with 2. Of the 460 ballots returned in the bar associations Judicial Retention Poll, 316 voted yes and 144 voted no on the retention of White while 404 voted yes and 51 voted no on the retention of Lillard. The Memphis Bar Association conducts and publicizes the results of their polls for voters but does not endorse any particular candidate.