There are 27 article(s) tagged Shelby County Criminal Court:
When Judge Carolyn Wade Blackett first took the bench 30 years ago, she said it was “strange” to be one of only a few women. At her first judicial conference, colleagues mistook her for hotel staff.
A Shelby County judge recently accused of bias against an attorney has responded to the allegations, calling them an attempt to “impugn the integrity” of her court.
The state’s push to remove two judgeships in Memphis faces resistance locally and from some Tennessee legislators who say Shelby County still needs the seats, particularly Division 9 of the Criminal Court.
The move stops a planned vote Thursday, April 4, that would’ve likely seen Shelby County Criminal Court Division 9 Judge Melissa Boyd removed from the bench.
The committee could meet as soon as Thursday, March 7. The process for her removal is not the same as a formal impeachment, which would stop her from running for office again.
The Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct issued Shelby County Criminal Court Division 1 Judge Paula Skahan a public reprimand Feb. 14 for overturning the sentence of Courtney Anderson in December 2022.
Sen. Brent Taylor is exploring concepts and asking questions about separating the Shelby County suburbs and Memphis into different judicial districts.
What retired Criminal Court Judge Robert “Bobby” Carter discovered — by observation and through data that he could compile — was an eye opener, particularly regarding the dearth of criminal cases that go to trial.
Gerald Skahan allegedly sent three text messages where he threatened “bodily harm” or to kill Paula Skahan, according to the complaint.
Just under 5% of Shelby County residents speak a language at home that isn’t English or Spanish, according to 2022 Census data. Finding court interpreters for those residents can be difficult when they’re needed.
The Shelby County Criminal Court Division 9 judge has been indicted for coercion of a witness and harassment, according to court records.
That information was revealed in documents officially referring Shelby County Criminal Court Division 9 Judge Melissa Boyd to the Tennessee General Assembly for “further action,” including potential removal.
Although some judges were commended for their courtroom etiquette, a local nonprofit says some judges in Shelby County struggle with sensitivity and when to appoint public defenders for indigent defendants.
Shelby County Criminal Court 9 Judge Melissa Boyd said she reached an agreement with the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct to temporarily step down after complaints and an order of protection were filed against her.
Jones, elected last August, has been disciplined for writing character letters for defendants in a Florida wire fraud case.
A 15-year-old accused in the July killing of Rev. Autura Eason-Williams will be transferred to adult court while a second 16-year-old suspect will stay in juvenile court.
While hundreds of inmates sat in jail for more than 500 days awaiting their day in court, and victims longed for closure, the Shelby County Criminal Court held a total of 35 trials in 2022.
Though it includes 10 judges and 10 divisions, Shelby County’s criminal court system had only tried 32 cases by August of this year — and there’s a backlog of 465 pending trials.
Judge Lee Coffee has been practicing law for 40 years and has served as a Shelby County criminal court judge for Division VII for 16 years since his election in 2006.
“This clinic is a way to offer people opportunities to get them back on the right track,” Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn said.
Jury trials in Shelby County Criminal Court are suspended through Jan. 28 as COVID cases increase locally.
James C. Beasley Jr, a former Shelby County Criminal Court judge, died Sunday, Feb. 21. He was remembered as fair and a well-respected judge by his friends and colleagues.
Shelby County Criminal Court was set to begin holding some trials next month, but now restarting jury trials is on hold until the health department issues COVID-19 safety protocols.
Shelby County Criminal Court trials can resume in October after judges suspended trials in August because of COVID-19.
Shelby County Criminal Court jury trials had been set to resume Aug. 31 have been suspended indefinitely. Judges will monitor the situation on a month-by-month basis to see when trials can resume.
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