A 30-day extension for a judicial emergency in Cobb Superior Court has been issued by Chief Judge Gregory Poole, stemming from serious issues with the court clerk’s office new online filing system.
Poole said in a release issued by Cobb government Wednesday that the emergency will continue through Oct. 6, due to a “significant backlog” in updating the system with documents.
(You can read the notice of extension by clicking here).
He issued the initial emergency earlier this month, saying that serious filing issues and delays are plaguing the new system and prompting many court proceedings to be ground to a halt.
Without informing judges, Cobb Superior Court Clerk Connie Taylor installed a new court filing system in June that had repeated malfunctions, and that were prompting delays in converting documents from the old system in some cases by weeks and months.
Under the emergency, there was an extension of deadlines for filing motions, setting court calendars and other proceedings.
In his extension announced Wednesday, Poole said that some documents dating back to November 2023 haven’t been uploaded, and that issues over notices, schedules and calendars remain.
“Court staff have also been confused by procedural changes in stamp-filing original documents, and indigent defendants are still being charged for access to documents,” the county release said.
“The Chief Judge continues to believe that these types of issues and conditions continue to raise serious due process and other constitutional concerns.”
The emergency order applies only to Cobb Superior Court, which handles felonies, major civil litigation, divorces, child support matters and more. State Court, Magistrate Court, Probate Court and Juvenile Court systems in Cobb are not affected by the order.
Taylor is a state constitutional elected officer whose term expires this year. A Democrat, she easily won the party primary in May over three opponents despite being dogged by controversy.
She acknowledged personally pocketing $425,000 in passport fees—court clerks are allowed to do this—a sum that far exceeded her predecessors.
Taylor allegedly ordered one of her staffers to destroy documents related to the matter, telling her to “Donald Trump this thing.”
By end of last year, Taylor’s office was falling behind filing documents to the court systems, sometimes by several months.
She told Poole some of those issues were caused by staff shortages in her office.
Related:
- Cobb District Attorney warns of scam targeting defendants
- Cobb judicial emergency declared over court filing system
- Cobb to appeal court order for new commission elections
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- Cobb Drug Treatment Court celebrates 6 new graduates
- Man gets life for killing friend at Delk Road apartments
- East Side ES students experience ‘Courtroom to Classroom’ event
- East Cobb investment adviser sentenced for Ponzi scheme
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