Retired judge examining courts for the city makes $200 per hour
“Our judicial system is broken. Because of lack of consequences, there is little deterrent effect on future actions of criminals,” Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland (right) said. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)
The retired Shelby County Criminal Court judge who is contracting for the City of Memphis makes $200 per hour at no more than 10 hours per week, according to a city contract.
Retired Shelby County Criminal Court Division III Judge James Robert “Bobby” Carter Jr. was contracted by the city to perform an efficiency study on various court systems within Memphis.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland announced in his July 14 weekly email update that he hired a longtime legal professional to monitor the courts but did not name the employee.
Carter confirmed to The Daily Memphian in July he was contracted by the city to examine various courtrooms.
“The mayor was very concerned, as anybody who lives here is, about just our situation,” Carter said in July. “My impression from him was that he wants to do everything in his power in the limited amount of time that is left available to him as his term ends to come up with solutions or pass on solutions, or at the very least, just to increase transparency of what’s going on in our criminal justice system.”
Carter’s contract with the city continues until July 31, 2024, with an option to extend an additional one year period, according to the contract obtained through a public records request.
Last year, 35 trials were conducted in Shelby County, according to data from the Shelby County District Attorney General’s Office. In 2019, 96 were conducted; in 2015, there were 162.
Carter told The Daily Memphian in July part of his work will examine how judges are trying cases, but that is only one metric he is studying.
He said in July he is looking at the use of the Shelby County Criminal Justice System Portal and statistics regarding the number of cases pending and what the backlog is.
Carter also said his work involves interviewing judges, prosecutors, clerks, judicial commissioners and others within the criminal justice system.
According to the contract, Carter’s work will be conducted in three levels.
Level one of Carter’s work for the city includes conducting an in-depth examination and analysis through data and record compilation and personal observations of criminal court proceedings and activities in Shelby County, including for Shelby County Criminal Court and Shelby County Juvenile Court.
According to the contract, Carter examines activities such as court dockets, in-court proceedings, indictments, arraignments, trials, plea deals, sentencing and bond hearings.
On level two, he will perform a “systematic evaluation” on caseloads, trial calendars, data and efficiency trends, case outcomes and “any other subject requested by the city.”
As part of level three of his work, Carter will conduct an in-depth evaluation and analysis of court efficiencies and “victim-centric considerations,” according to the contract. He will attend meetings and write reports upon request.
“Contractor’s scope of work will not include the provision of legal advice,” the contract reads.
According to the contract, Carter, who is a former judge and licensed attorney, “has the knowledge and expertise to provide such services.”
Carter signed the contract on May 10, but Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland did not sign until Aug. 23.
Strickland has publicly, and repeatedly, complained about a lack of accountability for criminals. In a March 10 newsletter in which he called for more transparency in the court system, he said he had visited MPD officers working in every shift.
“One of their main frustrations is having to encounter and arrest the same individuals over and over. This frustration is shared by the public,” Strickland wrote.
He went on to write: “Our judicial system is broken. Because of lack of consequences, there is little deterrent effect on future actions of criminals.”
Spokespeople for the City of Memphis did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Topics
city of Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland Judge Bobby CarterJulia Baker
A lifelong Memphian, Julia Baker graduated from the University of Memphis in 2021. Other publications and organizations she has written for include Chalkbeat, Memphis Flyer, Memphis Parent magazine and Memphis magazine.
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