Changes planned for Atlanta municipal court have judges balking

ATLANTA - It is not typical for a courthouse renovation to make headlines. However, in Downtown Atlanta, changes planned for the municipal court have judges balking. 

And the criticism is not cosmetic. They are concerned because their secured parking garage would be eliminated. That means the judges would have to arrive and park on the street. 

Chief Judge Christopher Portis called the idea "unconventional". He questioned if it is smart to create a situation in which judges might come into contact with the public, including perhaps defendants, outside the courthouse. 

A former prosecutor, Ash Joshi, called the idea "terrible". 

Joshi said everything must be done to decrease the contact judges have with the public. 

"People are on edge when they are at the courthouse," Joshi said, "and judges are the symbols of power. It is a realistic scenario that someone could take it out on a judge if they are unhappy, and it doesn't have to be the judge who handled the case". 

Jon Keen, a top aide to Mayor Bottoms, told city council the renovation design is just that and can be changed. 

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