BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) -- Senate Bill 178, known as the Speedy Trial Act, sponsored by Senate Judiciary Chairman Will Barfoot, intends to expedite trials for violent criminal cases, reduce court backlogs and ensure swift justice for victims and their families.
Thursday the bill passed in the state senate. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall calls it crucial legislation.
"It allows for local flexibility depending on the circumstances of their particular docket, but gives capacity for judges that are already burdened to be able to bring somebody new in to be able to hear this case," said Attorney General Marshall.
Under this bill, the Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court could appoint a sitting or retired circuit judge to temporarily serve in a case of one or more violent crimes.
According to Attorney General Marshall, this would make motions to set trial dates heard more swiftly.
"A speedy trial can be dependent on the circumstances, depending on kind of what has to be done before the violent crime itself is ready for a jury. But what we're concerned about is those cases that are four to five years old, nobody wins in those circumstances," said Attorney General Marshall.
In cases like Aniah Blanchard's, those years of waiting for trial had exceeded that four-to-five year mark according to Blanchard's father, Elijah Blanchard.
"Six years, it's just a little bit unreasonable because a lot of people don't know that the trial hasn't happened," said Blanchard.
Blanchard said it's been six long years of reliving his daughter's murder.
Blanchard said the trial set for Ibraheem Yazeed, the man accused of kidnapping and killing Aniah, has continuously been delayed over the years.
"We know what happened. We know when it happened, but we don't know why or how and that's why it's so important to us. Because it's something that we relive every day," said Blanchard.
Although a new trial date has been set for this year, Blanchard hopes if this bill becomes a law it will make a difference for his family and others with a similar experience.
The speedy trial act now goes to the house for consideration.