Magistrates in Kanawha County on May 1 began a new schedule that changes the hours they appear in court on Sundays.
Magistrates on Sunday now work from noon to 8 p.m., according to multiple magistrate court employees.
In the past, magistrates worked from 8 a.m. to noon, took a break and then returned from 8 p.m. until midnight on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's hours are remaining the same. When magistrates aren't in the courthouse, they are still on-call.
Magistrates and their assistants now won't have to return to the courthouse at 8 a.m. after working until midnight the night before. Also, the change eliminates, for at least one day of the weekend, employees having to make multiple trips to the courthouse. Kanawha Magistrate Brent Hall pointed out that some assistants were having to drive from as far away as Elkview to the courthouse in downtown Charleston, at least three times on both Saturday and Sunday.
In the past, Kanawha magistrates have been shut down when they've attempted to change their schedule. However this schedule doesn't cut any of the hours magistrates in Kanawha must work, Hall said. Chief Kanawha Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey approved of the changes this year.
Nine of the county's 10 magistrates rotate weekend and late shifts. Kanawha Magistrate Traci Carper Strickland isn't included in the rotation because she presides over the county's juvenile caseload.
The schedule change coincided with Kanawha Magistrate Julie Yeager rejoining the shift rotation, after the county's domestic violence court came to an end April 30.
The state Supreme Court announced the disbandment of the specialty domestic violence court earlier in April and said that the cases involving allegations of domestic violence would again be split between all magistrates, besides Strickland. Under the domestic violence program, Yeager was assigned all of those cases.
Hall said last week that magistrates were provided training in the wake of the disbandment of the domestic violence program to help refresh their memories about what services are available to victims and defendants in domestic violence related cases.
Magistrates began May 1 rotating on a weekly basis handling cases involving domestic violence.
Melanie Rucker, a longtime assistant in magistrate court, said last week that a main benefit of the new schedule is a second day court.
Police officers, lawyers and members of the public create a constant flow of traffic in day court, which is where, among other things, defendants are brought to be arraigned after arrest, where police request search warrants, people go to pay tickets, post bond and request mental hygiene petitions or domestic violence orders of protection. Basically, everything not scheduled for a hearing before a magistrate takes place in day court. It's a busy place.
The additional day court means that now those services are split up between more magistrates and employees.
The second day court is devoted to those seeking domestic violence protective orders and those wanting to pay tickets. Employees handling that court are also in charge of answering phone calls, Rucker said.
"We can better serve the public this way," said Rucker. "For one, we can get police officers in and out faster and back on the streets."
Rucker also noted the second court allows magistrates to provide additional time and attention to those saying they are victims of domestic violence.
Reach Kate White at kate.white@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1723, or follow @KateLWhite on Twitter.