TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on May 24, 2024

Gov. Bill Lee has signed a bill eliminating two Shelby County judicial seats: Criminal Court Division 9 as of July 1, and Circuit Court Division 7 as of Sept. 1. Cases pending in those courts will transfer to the courts’ remaining judges, reports the Daily Memphian. Local attorneys, judges and the Memphis City Council all have voiced strong opposition to the move, saying it could cause backlogs in both courts, given the increased workload that the remaining judges will now have. Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said, “This is an acutely bad time right now to be taking away 10% of our judicial capacity for criminal cases in Shelby County. To simultaneously complain about the backlog and then take away 10% of our ability makes no sense to me.”