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Judicial Emergency extended in Cobb County over software issue

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Published  August 28, 2024 1:13pm EDT
Cobb County
FOX 5 Atlanta

COBB COUNTY, Ga. - The chief judge of the Cobb Judicial Circuit has extended the Superior Court of Cobb County's Judicial Emergency for another month as the county continues to work on a document backlog.

This extraordinary measure, permitted under Georgia law, is invoked when an emergency severely disrupts the judicial system's normal functions, preventing public access and compliance with court deadlines.

Chief Judge A. Gregory Poole declared the emergency on Aug. 7 after officials said a software change in the clerk's office that began in June caused a series of issues involving court documentation.

"Court staff could not find documents. Attorneys and litigants could not find documents for their cases. Law enforcement couldn't find protective orders and bench warrants. In many cases, notices to come to court have been inaccurate, or not gone out at all," Superior Court Administrator Christopher Hansard told FOX 5.

Judge issues emergency declaration in Cobb County

A judicial emergency declaration has been issued in Cobb County. Legal documents have inaccurate information, some documents were never filed, others disappeared entirely.

According to the county, some legal documents had inaccurate information, some documents were never filed and others disappeared entirely since late June 2024. In fact, Poole said the problems were so severe, the constitutional rights of hundreds of Cobb County residents could be in jeopardy.

"At present, there are still instances where documents are unavailable to the public within the old CRIS system and simultaneously unavailable to court staff within the new Icon system. The Chief Judge continues to believe that these types of issues and conditions continue to raise serious due process and other constitutional concerns," the court said in a release.

Officials say some of the problems also come from the office being short-staffed. The office is down 43 employees. Currently, there are only 61 on staff.

While the situation has improved, the county said a "significant backlog remains" with documents as far back as November 2023 remaining unindexed.

Until the problems are resolved, the judges have been trying to work with individuals the best they can.

With Poole's new order, the Judicial Emergency will continue until Oct. 6, 2024. It could be extended for one more period.

Officials says if you have business coming up in the court system, and you're not sure of times, dates or if the proper documents have been filed, call the judge's office directly.