Legislation that would ultimately add a second Family Court Judge in Daviess County advanced this week. Rep. DJ Johnson’s House Bill 214 is meant to address judicial workload disparities statewide and rebalance those workloads. It would specifically address the shortages in Family Court Judges and add seats where they are needed the most — such as in Daviess County.
If the bill passes and becomes law as-is, Daviess County would gain a second Family Court Judge — and without pulling a judge from another circuit.
“Currently, there are workload imbalances affecting district judges throughout the commonwealth,” Johnson said. “And because of this imbalance there is a need to realign where there are critical shortages. The results identified in the Administrative Office of the Court’s study show that there is a need for a comprehensive judicial reorganization plan.”
In 2015, the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), at the request of the General Assembly, found the workload imbalances. The General Assembly acknowledged these results, but Johnson said the legislature has only acted on the workload study in a very limited manner.
HB 214 addresses 18 of the most critical imbalances statewide, essentially using those evaluations to more evenly balance workloads.
As it applies to Daviess County, which makes up the entirety of the 6th Judicial Circuit, the bill calls for adding one Circuit Judge. It further calls for that judgeship to be designated as Family Court Division.
The new judge would not be pulled from or shared with another Circuit.
Last year Johnson sponsored a similar measure. House Bill 327, which ultimately did not pass, would have made Daviess County’s second Family Court Judge position permanent after combining Hancock and Daviess counties into the same Judicial Circuit.
Johnson said the AOC looked at the numbers and determined that Daviess County still needed a second Family Court Judge, even without Hancock County joining the 6th Judicial Circuit.
The new bill Johnson is pushing this year will move Edmonson County out of the 38th Judicial Circuit (which also contains Hancock, Butler and Ohio counties) into the 8th Judicial Circuit (which only contains Warren County).
That would allow Hancock, Butler and Ohio counties to remain in the 38th Judicial Circuit.
The bill was passed by the House Judiciary Committee earlier this week. Alongside Johnson, Chief Justice John Minton and Judge Lisa Hart Morgan testified in front of the committee on the importance of this bill The bill is now awaiting further action on the House floor.
