CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Montgomery County Commission voted to postpone until December a resolution that would create a fifth General Sessions judge position to help ease the load with Juvenile Court.

At Tuesday’s commission meeting, Commissioner Rashidah Leverett said postponing would give commissioners more opportunities to talk to the judges, one-on-one. She said that since the measure will be voted on by the state Legislature in January, there’s no harm in waiting until December.

“Before we go to the General Assembly, I just want to make sure we’re being prudent with what we’re doing. I would like to sit down with the judges just to look at their workload, so that when we write this stuff, we would’ve done our due diligence and research,” she said.

Leverett said that all 21 commissioners should have the opportunity to speak with the judges and motioned to postpone the resolution.

Commissioner David Shelton argued against postponement since the county is already paying to build new courtrooms, which are expected to be completed by January 2026. Shelton said, “(The judges) have already invited us as a community to see what their needs are. We know they’re overloaded and continue to be overloaded. And the longer we wait on this, the more overloaded they will be. They already told us they need a fifth judge.”

Commissioner Autumn Simmons agreed, saying, “Our judges are urging us to move forward.”

Leverett pushed back, saying that no one was taking away from the timeline since the state vote is still in January, and they plan to reconvene in December. She said commissioners should know the full scope of what they’re funding and voting on to really understand what the judges need.

Commissioner Nathan Burkholder said he wasn’t aware of this resolution, and would love the opportunity to speak with the judges.

The motion to postpone the resolution until the next County Commission meeting passed 12-6. The resolution will be voted on in December then sent to the state for approval.

Clarification: The proposal is for an additional General Sessions judge to help alleviate the Juvenile Court caseload.

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