Shelby County Criminal Court Judges hung up their robes and put on their snow pants for the week.
All courts will be closed this week and could be closed as long as Monday, Jan 22.
Criminal Court Judge Lee Coffee told the Daily Memphian the decision was made over safety concerns for staff and criminals.“Requiring all those folks to come to court, you are putting literally hundreds of thousands of people at risk,” Coffee said.
Judge Coffee admitted that handing down sentences virtually is possible — but would be “expensive and difficult.”
So instead, the court system shut its doors altogether.
