Judges and Chancellors - As enacted, creates a pilot project to provide for criminal magistrates in the 10 counties in which the criminal courts experience the highest judicial caseload, if authorized by the legislative body of an eligible county; authorizes the judges of the county with criminal jurisdiction to appoint the criminal magistrate, who shall serve at the pleasure of the majority of the judges of the county with criminal jurisdiction. - Amends TCA Title 16; Title 17 and Title 40.

Summary

The bill lets the ten Tennessee counties with the highest criminal caseloads create a new criminal magistrate position, if the county’s legislative body approves it. Appointed by the county’s criminal judges, the magistrate would handle arraignments, initial appearances, certain pleas, warrant issuance, preliminary hearings, and summary adjudications. The goal is to speed up case processing and ease judges’ workloads.

AI-generated summary — may be incomplete or inaccurate. Verify against the official bill text.

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