Shelby County juvenile court asks commissioners for $849,190 to ease caseload delays and shore up magistrate pay and capacity

Judge Tarek Sugarman of Shelby County Juvenile Court asked the county Budget & Finance Committee on April 9 to approve three budget changes totaling $849,189.75 to expand judicial capacity, shore up magistrate compensation and reduce case-processing delays.

Sugarman told commissioners the court is requesting (1) that 30% of five core magistrates’ salaries now funded through a Department of Human Services (DHS) grant be shifted to the court’s personnel budget (a fiscal impact cited in the presentation as $255,000); (2) funding for two additional magistrates (presentation cited $466,444); and (3) a pay increase for core magistrates that Sugarman described as totaling about $127,745.35. "These budget requests are about meeting the demand, retaining critical personnel, and ensuring every child and family who comes before the court receives timely, informed, and fair justice," Sugarman said.

Why it matters: Sugarman said juvenile court work is time-sensitive and that the court cannot meet statutory time lines for adjudication and dispositional hearings under current capacity. He reported that in fiscal year 2025 the court heard more than 4,000 dependent-and-neglect cases and more than 2,000 custody and visitation cases. Court staff and magistrates…