fbpx
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Legal Notices
Lagniappe Mobile
  • News
    • Cover Story
    • Latest
    • Serial Stories
    • Bay Briefs
    • Community News
    • Open Documents
    • e-Edition
  • Baldwin
  • Commentary
    • Damn the Torpedoes
    • Hidden Agenda
    • Beltway Beat
    • The Real Deal
    • Weather Things
    • The Gadfly
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Cuisine
    • The Dish
    • Word of Mouth
    • Beer and Loathing
    • Cuisine Directory
  • Arts
    • Artifice
    • Art Gallery
    • The Reel World
    • Calendar
  • Music
    • Music Feature
    • Music Briefs
    • Music Listings
    • Submissions
  • Sports
    • The Score
    • The Starting Line-Up
    • From Behind The Mic
    • Upon Further Review
  • Style
    • Media Frenzy
    • Mobile Magnified
    • Horoscopes
    • Master Gardeners
    • Style Feature
  • Lagnia-POD

Select Page

Graddick working as special judge in county

Posted by Dale Liesch | Mar 22, 2017 | Bay Briefs | 0 |

Judge Charles Graddick wishes he had more to do.

Although he technically “aged out” of his position as Mobile County Circuit Court presiding judge in January, Graddick was immediately named a special judge for the circuit and is still hearing cases from time to time.

Graddick, though, laments the state budget issues that keep him from having a full docket each week.

“I’m a workaholic and I didn’t realize the extent that I am,” he said. “I would prefer to be busier … I wish I had a full load.”

Graddick is used sparingly because, while Mobile County is in need of three more judges, the state hasn’t agreed to pay for additional support staff, current Presiding Judge John Lockett said.

As it is, Graddick gets no additional salary except his retirement, and he can only work cases when one of two roving court reporters is available. He doesn’t get one permanently assigned to his courtroom, like other judges do.

As Graddick pointed out, support staff is not cheap.

“The reason we haven’t created more positions is because there’s no money for it,” he said. “You’ve got to have a reporter, law clerk and judicial assistant and that costs,” Graddick said.

As a special judge appointed by the Alabama Supreme Court, Graddick said he provides backup to all judges. He was also able to continue working on some of the cases he’d presided over in his courtroom before Judge James Patterson took his seat in January.

“Nothing has really changed, except I don’t have a full court docket,” Graddick said.

Lockett called Graddick valuable to the court and said he hoped to “get more value out of him” in the future. Graddick would be juggling various civil and criminal cases as needed.

“It might be too early to say,” Lockett said about Graddick’s caseload. “We haven’t established a rhythm.”

Ideally, Graddick would be used much like Judge James Wood, who is also a special judge in the circuit. Lockett said Wood tries as many cases as any other local judge.

Further complicating the matter, at least early on, were rumors that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was going to name Graddick as the new U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, Lockett said.

“There were serious rumors he was going to be the U.S. attorney,” Lockett said. “We were worried we were going to lose him.”

Things have changed since then, Lockett said. It doesn’t appear Graddick is still under consideration.

“Their loss is our gain,” he said.

This page is available to our subscribers. Join us right now to get the latest local news from local reporters for local readers.

The best deal is found by clicking here. Click here right now to find out more. Check it out.

Already a member of the Lagniappe family? Sign in by clicking here

Share:

Rate:

PreviousCity battles for cab control as ride-hailing service mends image
NextState admits mercaptan odor impacts Eight Mile residents

About The Author

Dale Liesch

Dale Liesch

Dale Liesch has been a reporter at Lagniappe since February 2014. He covers all aspects of the city of Mobile, including the mayor, City Council, the Mobile Housing Board of Commissioners, GulfQuest National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico and others. He studied journalism at The University of Alabama and graduated in 2007. He came to Lagniappe, after several years in the newspaper industry. He achieved the position of news editor at The Alexander City Outlook before moving to Virginia and then subsequently moving back a few years later. He has a number of Alabama and Virginia Press association awards to his name. He grew up in the wilderness of Baldwin County, among several different varieties of animals including: dogs, cats, ducks, chickens, a horse and an angry goat. He now lives in the Oakleigh neighborhood of Mobile with his wife, Hillary, and daughter, Joan. The family currently has no goats, angry or otherwise, but is ruled by the whims of two very energetic dogs.

Related Posts

Face of Griffith Service Station retires amid family legal fight

Face of Griffith Service Station retires amid family legal fight

April 28, 2021

Elderly residents question where they will live after Portier Place sale

Elderly residents question where they will live after Portier Place sale

March 12, 2015

Lawsuit claims former USA volleyball coach was abusive

Lawsuit claims former USA volleyball coach was abusive

September 8, 2021

Federal agents, local cops targeting ‘high-crime’ areas

Federal agents, local cops targeting ‘high-crime’ areas

March 6, 2019

Recommended Stories

As I lay dying

By Ashley Trice

More ’80s movie sequels, please

By Rob Holbert

Newest holiday ripe for Mobile’s plucking

By Kevin Lee

The summer bounty fills the fridge with cucumbers

By Andy MacDonald

Keep on Truckin’

By Stephen Centanni


  • Advertising
  • About Us
  • Contacts
  • Jobs
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Join the Sunday Brunch Newsletter

Search This Site

Browse the Archives

© Lagniappe Mobile 2022