It’s an alarmingly high number.
According to Metro Nashville Police, there have been at least 8,587 domestic violence victims so far this year.
Justice after such a horrible crime is so important. Yet that can be a very slow process.
In the player above, a Nashville judge explains in the player above why this is so needed and how it should help the process.
Because of the caseload, Davidson County’s General Session Court judges have decided to add a third domestic violence docket and a fourth judge to preside over those cases beginning in 2025.
“It’s gotten to a point where we have to do something for the interest of public safety and the interest of everybody,” said Judge Allegra Walker-Birdine.
Judge Walker-Birdine is the presiding judge, as well as one of three judges assigned to the Domestic Violence Court. On a rotating basis, the judges hear two domestic violence dockets. One is bond hearings and initial appearances, the other is jail hearings and protective orders.
The new structure will place protective orders on an independent docket. Right now, if a legal dispute pops up, those cases can back up the jail hearings. There are roughly 4,000 order of protection cases every year.