Putnam Opens General Sessions Courts To Adoptions

Putnam County’s General Sessions Courts can now hear adoption cases.

Circuit Court Clerk Jennifer Wilkerson said adoption cases were previously only seen by upper-level chancery and circuit courts. She said with cases piling up, this gives people dealing with adoption proceedings an additional avenue to get their adoption finalized.

“This again, will provide another opportunity to spread those cases out across the various courts,” Wilkerson said. “So, we’re looking forward to it. It’s something that we haven’t done in general sessions before, so I anticipate this to be a really good move.”

Wilkerson said legislation was passed by the state. Then, county commissioners passed a private act locally, allowing general sessions court jurisdiction over a new sector of cases.

She said the Chancery Court hears the majority of these cases and the Chancery Judge is extremely busy.

“It will create more opportunity and accessibility for folks to be able to file those cases, and possibly have those cases heard in a more timely manner,” Wilkerson said.

She said this is an expansion of availability for attorneys and private citizens. She said General Sessions Judge Steven Randolph played an integral role in getting this resolution passed.

“The court systems really see a lot of cases,” Wilkerson said. “So, some of those courts, the court of record, it could take a while for those cases to be heard. There’s a lot of things that they’re going through.”