Baldwin County Family Court Dockets Reassigned by Presiding Circuit Judge
Baldwin County's presiding circuit judge has reassigned temporary motions and some domestic relations dockets in an effort to move family court cases along faster.
BAY MINETTE, Ala. — Baldwin County’s presiding circuit judge has ordered changes to how domestic relations and Baldwin County family court cases are handled. The changes are intended to help parties in court and allow final trials to be heard sooner.
The changes
The changes ordered by Presiding Judge Floyd include the following:
- All answer-and-waiver divorces will be assigned by the clerks and handled by the county’s four general jurisdiction circuit judges on a rotating basis.
- All pendente lite, or temporary, motions in cases assigned to Judge Michelle Thomason and Judge Bosch will be heard by the other four circuit judges on dates they set. Judge Floyd and Judge Bishop will hear Judge Thomason’s motions, and Judge Norton and Judge Taylor will hear Judge Bosch’s motions.
- Specially assigned judges will hear Judge Thomason’s domestic violence dockets in 2017.
Most of the temporary motions are expected to be heard on the afternoon of the motion docket in Bay Minette.
Effect on temporary orders
Under the previous arrangement, temporary orders issued at the start of a case could remain in place for years, until the final hearing. Under the new arrangement, temporary custody and support matters in those cases will first be heard by other judges.
It was not immediately clear whether the changes would affect status quo orders issued at the start of cases assigned to Judge Thomason, or whether she would continue to preside over the county’s veterans court.
