Commission Fails to Make Judicial Commissioner Appointments

The appointment of three judicial commissioners will have to wait until September.
During Monday night’s meeting, the county commission failed to come up with the eight votes needed to make the appointments.
A judicial committee recently met and recommended three persons for the appointments including Taft Hendrixson, a current judicial commissioner, along with Tammy Ashburn and James Harvey Barnes. Two current judicial commissioners who had re-applied, Jerry Taylor and Hoyte Barrett, were not recommended for reappointment by the judicial committee.
Other applicants for the three positions are Felisha Oakley, Joan Washer, Richard Mielke, Scotty Colwell, McClure Cantrell, and Sandy Brown.
On a procedure vote, Third District Commissioner Jack Barton moved that the county commission take action on the appointment of all three appointees instead of one at a time, as some members wanted to do. Fifth District Commissioner Anita Puckett offered a second to the motion which carried on a voice vote with three members voicing opposition.
Barton then moved that Hendrixson, Ashburn, and Barnes be appointed as recommended by the judicial committee. But the vote failed 7-6. Eight votes are required for passage.
Those voting in favor of making the appointments as a group were Mason Carter, Jeff Barnes, Anita Puckett, Jack Barton, Betty Atnip, Jonathan Norris, and Jimmy Midgett.
Commissioners voting against naming them as a group were Kevin Robinson, Larry Summers, Jerry Adcock, Bradley Hendrix, Elmer Ellis, Jr., and Wayne Cantrell.
The issue will be brought back before the county commission at the September meeting.
In June, the commission authorized the judicial committee to accept and review applications and then make a recommendation to the entire county commission. That committee is made up of the General Sessions/Juvenile Court Judge, Sheriff, Circuit Court Clerk, County Mayor, and a representative of the District Attorney General’s Office.
An advertisement was published seeking applicants for the three judicial commissioner positions.
Judicial commissioners are responsible for the issuance of criminal arrest warrants upon finding probable cause. They are subject to call at all hours of the day and night. Judicial commissioners serve at the pleasure of the county commission and their terms of office can be one year to four years.