New law barring bail affordability calculator is on the books — and in use
Lead Judicial Commissioner John Marshall presided over bail hearing proceedings Feb. 17, with Chief Public Defender Phyllis Aluko and prosecutor Shaun Schielke present in Shelby County General Sessions Criminal Court Division 11 Judge Karen Massey’s courtroom. A new Tennessee law will not allow Shelby County officials to use an ability-to-pay calculator to pre-screen defendants’ financial conditions when setting initial bail. (The Daily Memphian file)
A new law bars judicial commissioners from using an ability-to-pay calculator when setting initial bail, but it does not prevent the consideration of defendants’ financial conditions. Critics say the law is confusing and ultimately unconstitutional.
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Aarron Fleming
Once an intern, he never left, joining the staff full-time in 2022 as an education reporter. He moved to public safety in 2023, where he covered some of the city’s biggest court cases, including the criminal trials for those charged in the deaths of Tyré Nichols and rapper Young Dolph. He also chronicled the Shelby County Jail and the deaths that have occurred at the facility.
He now provides suburban coverage, focusing on DeSoto County and the surrounding municipalities.
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