CULLMAN, Ala. – The Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce held its monthly community luncheon on Friday, March 14, hosting a panel of local judges, including Circuit Judges Greg Nicholas and Emily Johnston, District Judges Rusty Turner and Chad Floyd, and Probate Judge Tammy Brown, to share insights into the county’s judicial system, discuss key topics that impact the community and talk about current legal trends.
Brown shared the probate court’s responsibilities, such as overseeing adoptions, wills and elections. Differences between circuit and district courts, the types of cases they handle and their processes were also discussed.
“Because of the hard work of these judges, our district attorney, our circuit court, our defense attorneys, we’re making real progress there, but we still have work left to do,” Nicholas said about the court’s work in the community.
The judges shared the ongoing processes of reducing the backlog of cases that built up during the pandemic, the effects of drug abuse and mental health issues on court cases and how population growth is increasing demands on the judicial system. Recent innovations to improve efficiency include online systems and small claims resolution systems, which allow cases to be completed without requiring people to appear in court.
The panel also shared some of their continuing work with local ninth-grade students to educate them on the legal system, prevent juvenile delinquency and encourage victims of abuse to come forward. To reduce vaping within schools, they said, school resource officers have taught classes on the risks and dangers. A need for funding and donations toward mental health challenges in the court system was addressed. Judges also addressed the importance of accountability in courts in addressing addiction and mental health issues and shared stories of rewarding moments, such as adoptions and people overcoming addiction and beginning new lives with the assistance of court programs.
“Watching those individuals — probably catching them at one of the worst moments of their life — and then seeing a year later some of the happiest times in their life, that’s why we do what we do,” shared Turner.
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