TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Kate Prince on Aug 2, 2022

A story from MLK50: Justice Through Journalism highlights the differences in how Shelby County’s six General Sessions Civil Court judges handle eviction cases. MLK journalists sat through hearings in front of all six judges over the course of three weeks, observing at least 10 eviction cases in which the tenant came to court in each courtroom. Of those cases, Judges Danielle Mitchell Sims, Betty Thomas Moore and Deborah Henderson were the only judges to bring up the Emergency Rental Assistance funds — a federal program that could cover up to 12 months of past-due rent and two months of future rent. The Commercial Appeal has a breakdown of MLK’s report, including why other judges did not mention the ERA program in court and how certain state housing policies prevent judges from doing more in eviction cases.