The big changes proposed make Rutherford and Williamson counties standalone judicial districts.
Two of Tennessee’s 31 district attorneys will be out of a job if a plan from Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey gets approval. The redistricting proposal eliminates a pair of judicial districts.
Most of the reconfiguring is in Middle Tennessee. It means two district attorneys – both Democrats – will have to run against each other in Coffee and Warren counties. This makes way for Rutherford and Williamson counties to have their own standalone judicial districts instead of being lumped in with other counties.
In total, only eight districts would change. Speaker Ramsey says he wanted to do more to balance out the population size and case loads.
“There was an aggressive plan that we began with, but that’s just a working blueprint that shows what could happen. But I think the plan we’ve adopted today is the right plan.”
The legislature still has to vote. Several judges have endorsed the redistricting proposal, including the chief justice of the state supreme court. District attorneys voted 31-to-0 in opposition.
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