In a Clarion-Ledger article today, Judge Billy Bridges of Brandon—appointed the day after the D.A.'s election to fill a spot open for 15 months—makes the following statement:

"The judges can handle as many cases as (prosecutors) try," Bridges, 73, said.

Is this true? Has the history of our local circuit judges shown this to be true? Has it been the case that the prosecutors aren't bringing the judges cases—or do the judges have cases on their dockets that they haven't gotten around to?

Let's air this one out.

Mis-statement on both sides...

Judges handle as many cases as possible, their "rating" favors clearing cases.

Prosecutors want cases done again good reviews for clearing cases, as well as public approval that gets their boss re-elected

There is a reality. Judges sit for certain days. Juries are only called for certain days in the term and terms are only so long..... thus BACKLOG AND LOGISTICAL PROBLEMS

In this case there is a lot of finger pointing, and Judge Briggs, who I would never speak poor of because he is a Judge and because I may have to appear in front of him, MUST have been misquoted. Mainly because he is a good jurist and because he knows there are jury limitations, constitutional limitations, timing limitations, funding limitations, and logistical limitations.

ME

Well... yes the statement is true, but the question is, are the judges WILLING to try criminal case. Bridges saying that judges "can handle" as many cases as the prosecutors is like saying we have enough electriciy to run the lights in the courthouse for as long as the cases get tried. Once again, the JUDGES set the criminal cases, not defense attorneys and not the AG prosecutors and not DA prosecutors. Compare the circuit judges and the number of cases they tried in the past few years. It's a glaring piece of the criminal justice puzzle in Hinds County that the media chooses to ignore. The elephant in the room is that 2 of the circuit judges routinely try criminal cases and 2 of the circuit judges rarely try them. It's time somebody in the media reported it.

Which two rarely try them? Spell it out for us.

And do you think it's odd that Justice Smith waited 15 months, until the day after Peterson was defeated, to appoint Bridges?

Donna... the numbers are easy to compare. Obviously, somebody over in the Hinds County courthouse with access to records could probably help you, but just pay attention to the sentencing reports in the media. Which of the four judges hold criminal trials?

I would add, this is not just a Hinds county problem, though a city our size magnifies the problems. Most judges want to move their dockets, there are some, including those in Hinds county, that are more impressed with themselves being judges than working. Some are an hour or more late every setting while threatening with contempt if an attorney is 3 minutes late.

The problem is not just criminal trials nor our circuit court judges. There are county and chancery court Judges that move slow as they can hoping for things to resolve themselves. One chancery judge in particular takes pride in nit picking every detail in every instance. For example making an attorney make 6 edits on an order and bringing in a new draft each time. The kicker was, the JUDGE was making the edits each time and "kept thinking it looked better the other way" and dressed the attorney down each time for "knowing better" ( something that should have taken 3 minutes to sign took 3 weeks of ex parte day meetings. Or a judge I dealt with that refused to sign an order for 3 and a half weeks because "the judge thought process wasn't served" Once I showed the judge the file the JUDGE HAD, the judge saw it was served and signed the order. I know I pray for certain judges when I file things.

Simple fact, most judges are great to work with and work, a few are difficult to work with, but still work, a lesser few simply enjoy being a judge and honestly should either be forced to work or leave. ( there is .01% of judges that have NO place on the bench- both due to their lack of work ethic, their lack of understanding of the law (scary isn't it?) and their attitude) and every time they walk into a courtroom everyone loses.

AGamma627