A Cobb grand jury has indicted Cobb Superior Court Clerk Connie Taylor following an investigation into her alleged conduct over the handling of passport fees processed by her office.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said in a release Thursday that Taylor has been charged with two counts of destroying government records and two counts of violating her oath of office—all felony counts.
The indictment by a Cobb grand jury comes 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.
The Cobb Superior Court Clerk is an elected constitutional officer, one of four in the county.
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.
Curry’s allegations (you can read her attorney’s letter here) include a comment by Taylor 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.
Carr’s office went to a Cobb grand jury with the GBI’s findings after the Cobb District Attorney’s Office recused itself. Cobb judges also recused themselves, and a retired Douglas County judge presided over the grand jury’s presentment in Cobb Superior Court.
“Georgians deserve honesty and transparency from their elected officials, and anything less undermines public trust,” Carr said in a statement. “Any attempts to conceal or destroy government records are serious allegations that cannot be ignored, and those responsible will be held accountable.”
Taylor has hired former Gov. Roy Barnes to represent her, and he has declined comment.
Taylor is a Democrat who was first elected in 2020, ousting Keaton from office. Even after the passport issue became public, and a judicial emergency was declared over her implementation of a new court online filing system, Taylor easily won re-election in 2024.
She beat a crowded field in the Democratic primary and then prevailed over Republican Deborah Dance, a former Cobb County Attorney, in the general election.
After Taylor’s indictment Thursday, Cobb District Attorney Sonya Allen issued a statement, saying that “we recognize the significance and understand the public’s concern, however we are not involved in this prosecution. Our office remains focused on fulfilling our responsibilities and serving the people of Cobb County with integrity and impartiality.”
She referred further inquiries to the Attorney General’s Office.
Cobb government issued the following statement:
“We respect the judicial process and will allow it to run its course. Regardless of the outcome, Cobb County is committed to ensuring residents continue to receive efficient and effective services through the Clerk of Superior Court’s office.”
Related:
- 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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