Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Friday issued an executive order suspending Cobb Superior Court Clerk Connie Taylor while she faces charges of destroying government records and violating her oath of office.
Kemp issued the executive order after a three-member review commission he appointed determined that Taylor’s indictment by a Cobb grand jury “does relate to and adversely affect the administration of the office of Clerk of the Superior Court.”
If she is convicted, Taylor could be removed from office. Earlier this week, she pleaded not guilty to two counts of destroying government records and two counts of violating her oath of office.
Taylor, a Democrat first elected in 2020, was indicted July 31 after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation conducted a probe into the matter following allegations that Taylor tried to direct an employee to delete government e-mails and financial records in response to an open records request in late 2022.
Taylor had come under fire for personally pocketing $425,000 in passport fees, on top of her $170,000 annual salary.
Under state law, court clerks are allowed to personally keep such funds. But Rebecca Keaton, Taylor’s predecessor, forwarded some of those monies to the county’s general fund.
Maya Curry, who worked in the clerk’s office, said Taylor ordered her to destroy records about the passport application fees when The Atlanta Journal-Constitution filed an open records request seeking that information.
According to Curry, Taylor said that “we’re just going to Donald Trump this thing,” a reference to deleting any files or records that would be germane to an open records request.
The Attorney General’s Office is leading the legal proceedings after Cobb officials, including judges, recused themselves from the case.
Taylor’s attorney, former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, hasn’t commented on the case.
After Friday’s announcement of Taylor’s suspension, Cobb County government issued a statement saying “we respect the Governor’s order. Since the Clerk of Superior Court is a constitutional officer and not under the authority of the Board of Commissioners, we will not be commenting further. Our focus remains on ensuring that county services continue without interruption.”
Related:
- Cobb Superior Court Clerk indicted for destroying records
- Cobb Juvenile Court administrator receives national award
- Cobb judge receives award from Young Lawyers Division
- East Cobb woman released by ICE; husband still detained
- East Cobb couple detained by ICE; son fights for their release
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