The current makeup of the 13th Judicial District, which includes DeKalb County, would remain unchanged under a consensus plan to redraw Tennessee’s judicial districts as unveiled by Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey (R-Blountville) today (Monday)
The districts were last drawn nearly thirty years ago in 1984.
Under the plan, the 13th Judicial District would remain intact with no changes. The district includes Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, and White Counties.
(CLICK LINK BELOW TO SEE NEW MAP WITH CHANGES SHOWN IN COLOR)
http://www.capitol.tn.gov/senate/judredist/9-1-14-Plan.pdf
A previous plan under consideration would have included DeKalb County in a new eight county district with Coffee, Cannon, Warren, Smith, Jackson, Trousdale, and Macon.
Local judges and attorneys argued that the judicial system works well in the 13th district and that there was no need for redistricting here.
The new proposed map causes minimal disruption to the current system affecting only 22 counties in 8 districts. To maximize efficiency, the number of judicial districts has been reduced from 31 to 29. Factors such as regional integrity, geographic boundaries and ease of inter-county travel were also heavily considered.
The changes are as follows:
Cannon, Coffee, Warren, and Van Buren would form the 14th Judicial District
Rutherford County would be a district unto itself as the 16th Judicial District
Williamson County would be a district unto itself as the 21st Judicial District
Giles, Lawrence, Lewis, Maury, Perry, and Wayne counties would form the 22nd Judicial District
Cheatham, Dickson, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, and Stewart counties would form the 23rd Judicial District
Lake, Dyer, Obion, and Weakley would form the 27th Judicial District.
Joining Lt. Governor Ramsey in making the announcement Monday were judicial redistricting bill sponsors Senator Mark Norris (R-Collierville) and Representative Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol) along with Supreme Court Chief Justice Gary Wade, Tennessee Trial Judges Association President Chancellor Daryl Fansler, Tennessee Judicial Conference President Robert Holloway and Tennessee Bar Association President Jackie Dixon.
“When the issue of judicial redistricting was first presented to me it was clear action needed to be taken,” said Lt. Governor Ramsey. “Tennessee is a vibrant and growing state. After thirty years, the changes experienced in our state needs to be reflected in the districts of Tennessee’s judges, district attorneys and public defenders.”
“While the 1984 map made great strides by consolidating public defenders, district attorneys and judges into unified districts, it clear that the particular politics of the time influenced the map resulting in untenable inefficiencies,” Ramsey explained. “This map corrects those mistakes and brings our judicial districts into the 21st century.”
“We came into this process with open minds and a desire to work with interested parties,” Ramsey continued. “I am pleased that, in the end, all concerned could come together and agree on a consensus plan. I am extremely satisfied with the result.”
“I would like to commend all involved for working hard to reach common ground,” said Senator Norris. “Change is never easy but we have come together to create a map that ensures Tennesseans get the best possible service from their public defenders, district attorneys and judges.”
“This is a common sense plan for judicial redistricting that corrects the mistakes of the past and updates districts to reflect population changes in the state,” said Rep. Lundberg. “I’m proud to be a part of this process.”
An open call for judicial redistricting proposals went out in February. Fourteen maps were submitted as well as informal input from members of the public and stakeholder groups. The current plan will be presented as Senate Bill 780/House Bill 636 and can be found online at http://www.capitol.tn.gov/senate/judredist/judredist.html.
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