The state legislature is considering a judicial redistricting plan that would remove DeKalb County from the 13th Judicial District, which also includes Clay, Cumberland, Pickett, Putnam, Overton and White counties.
Under the proposed plan, Van Buren County would become part of the 13th District, and DeKalb County would join a new eight-county district which would also include Cannon, Coffee, Jackson, Macon, Smith, Trousdale,  and Warren counties.
The present 13th Judicial District, represented by District Attorney General Randy and served by Criminal Court Judges Leon Burns, Jr. and David Patterson, Circuit Court Judges John Maddux and Amy Hollars, and Chancellor Ronald Thurman has three trial courts, including Chancery, Circuit, and Criminal Courts.
The District Public Defender is David Brady.
Tennessee presently has 31 judicial districts. The new plan would reduce the number to 29.
During a recent visit to Smithville, State Representative Mark Pody said he supports some changes to judicial districts across the state.
“I'm going to tell you flat out that what we have isn't working,” Pody said. “We've got 31 districts and some of the wait times for a court case could be 17 months depending on what district its in.”
Pody said long waits for a trial in some areas is a problem.
“I know cases where someone wants to get a divorce and they can't get a time to even get in front of a judge for over a year. That's just too long.
“If somebody commits a crime, if it takes over a year, that's not a speedy trial. We have to pay about $60 per day to hold those people in prison. That's what the cost is to the state. If we're paying $60 per day just holding them until they go to trial, I think we could save some of that money if we could redo this and make our court times much shorter,” Pody noted.
“The map I have seen is going from 31 districts down to 29 districts. I'm not comfortable reducing the number of districts. That doesn't make sense to me, but Coffee County is a district unto itself, so we have to redo (the districts) so it is more equitable across the state. There are some areas that seem to be working very well with no back load but there are areas where there is a big back load.”
Pody said he did not think a reduced number of districts is a good idea.
“I'd like to keep us at the 31 districts. I think that even though it’s more than the 29 districts that they are proposing, the savings in jail time, etc., should more than offset some of those things. We're looking at putting this plan together within the next 30 days. It’s out there for the public to be commenting on.”
Pody said he hoped opponents of the plan could help offer other solutions that would benefit districts statewide.
“More than just saying I don't like it, what I'm hoping is that somebody will say ‘here is an alternative’ to divide it up in a way that works well for everybody across the state,” Pody said.
“My goal is to vote for what's best for the entire state and not what might be just best for where I am. I have to look at this as a state issue, and not just what's going to be best for our county. My vote has to be that way. I am going to be very open to the facts. For example, I want to know the case load and the average time for trial. I think that will make a difference in how it’s going to be divided up,” Pody noted.
Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey also supports changes to the judicial districts.
“We desperately need to take a fresh look at this judicial map statewide to ensure Tennesseans receive the best possible service from their judges, district attorneys and public defenders,” Ramsey said.
Any proposed plan must use 2010 federal census data and redistrict the entire state, and must contain a total of 31 or fewer districts to be considered.
Districts must be comprised of whole counties.
Regional integrity, geographic boundaries and ease of inter-county travel must also be considered.