Thank you to the hundreds who signed the Court’s online petition to save the Fulton Justice System and to hundreds more who signed petitions at court service offices.
Fulton County Commissioners on Wednesday Jan. 20, 2010 reinstated $1.3 million to Justice System agencies and court programs. Among the funds restored to the 2010 budget on Wednesday is $150,000.00 for Drug Court, $800,000.00 to Pretrial Services for State and Superior Courts and $426,000.00 for the Circuit Public Defender’s office.
While there are cuts to the 2010 Justice System budget they are much less than what they would have if each of you had not added your voice to those who stood up for programs that reduce cost and make Fulton a safer county.
Doris L. Downs
Chief JudgeSuperior Court of Fulton County
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Five days and counting ...
Five days and counting until the 2010 budget is final for the Fulton County Judicial System.
Fulton Commissioners must approve the final budget Jan. 20 at their 10 a.m. meeting.
But the question remains: Will commissioners pass a budget that protects public safety, provides adequate funding for the courts and supports the requirement that Fulton's Judicial System provide access to justice for all?
Fulton Commissioners must approve the final budget Jan. 20 at their 10 a.m. meeting.
But the question remains: Will commissioners pass a budget that protects public safety, provides adequate funding for the courts and supports the requirement that Fulton's Judicial System provide access to justice for all?
Friday, December 11, 2009
Think This Can't Happen?
Criminal prosecutions and civil litigation will be delayed even further if hundreds of Justice System employees and staff are laid off as a result of further budget cuts.
The county’s latest budget proposal calls for 10 percent across the board cuts in addition to prior reductions in state and county support for the Justice System. But that approach just doesn’t add up.
Here are some examples that show reducing or eliminating court programs that safely remove defendants from the overcrowded Fulton Jail will only add to the budget:
Jailing pretrial defendants: Daily Cost - $72 x 1,300 = $93,600.
Supervised pretrial release: Daily Cost- $ 5 x 1,300 = $ 6,500.
Daily saving: $87,100.
Jailing pretrial defendants: Daily Cost - $72 x 500 = $36,000.
Drug/Mental Health Court: Daily Cost - $23 x 500 = $11,500.
Daily saving: $24,500.
What You Can Do:
Monday, November 23, 2009
The Courthouses of Fulton County
When Fulton County was created in December 1853, Atlanta was building its first city hall on a hill overlooking the burgeoning city and officials agreed to set aside half of the building as a courthouse for the new county -- rent-free.
The joint city hall-county courthouse opened in October 1854 and served both Atlanta and Fulton County almost 30 years.
In September 1864 federal troops captured Atlanta and the 2nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry camped on the grounds of the city hall-county courthouse. Although spared from burnin
g during its occupation by Union forces, the city hall-county courthouse suffered abuse.
In October 1865, the Fulton County grand jury recommended the county's part of the joint building be "repaired thoroughly." During Reconstruction, Atlanta was designated state capital, and from July 1868 to January 1869, the city hall-county courthouse took on a third function — Georgia’s Capitol.
Conditions became so overcrowded, however, that the nearby unfinished Kimball Opera House was converted for use as the state’s capitol.
After Georgia’s state government moved to its new home, the city hall-county courthouse continued as home for Atlanta and Fulton County governments for nearly a decade.
In 1877, in a deal to keep the state capital from returning to its pre-Civil War site in Milledgeville, Atlanta officials offered to tear down the city hall-county courthouse and build a new state capitol. When the legislature accepted the offer, Fulton County made plans for a new court facility.
In 1879, the Georgia legislature passed a law allowing Fulton to levy a tax to fund construction
of a courthouse.
Fulton County’s new courthouse was completed in 1882. The new two-story red brick structure with a prominent clock tower was located at the corner of Hunter St. [now MLK Jr. Ave.] and Pryor St. —the site of the current Fulton County Courthouse.
Construction of Fulton’s first freestanding courthouse began in 1881. Completed in 1882, the courthouse had cost Fulton taxpayers the grand sum of $100,000.
By 1907, plans were underway for a new, larger courthouse to serve the county containing the Capitol of the New South.
An act passed by the legislature allowed Fulton to issue bonds to finance a new courthouse. In 1911 the old courthouse was torn down and work began on Fulton County's third courthouse.
When completed in 1914 at a cost of $1,250,000, Fulton County had Georgia's first million-dollar courthouse. It was also the state’s largest government building, surpassing the domed Georgia state capitol in square footage.
Despite the court’s impressive size, by the 1960s Fulton County's growing population again necessitated additional space. This time the expansion was for the county's government which had been housed in the Courthouse.
A new six-story Fulton County Administration Building was built behind the Courthouse to house county agencies, officials, and the Fulton County Commission.
By the 1980s, Fulton’s county government had again outgrown its existing facility and in 1986 work began on a new Fulton County Government Center. The modern glass and concrete structure across Pryor Street from the entrance of the Fult
on Courthouse was completed in 1989.
The Fulton County Administration Building on Central Avenue was torn down in the 1990s and replaced by a nine-story Fulton Justice Tower that opened in 1993.
The joint city hall-county courthouse opened in October 1854 and served both Atlanta and Fulton County almost 30 years.
In September 1864 federal troops captured Atlanta and the 2nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry camped on the grounds of the city hall-county courthouse. Although spared from burnin
g during its occupation by Union forces, the city hall-county courthouse suffered abuse.In October 1865, the Fulton County grand jury recommended the county's part of the joint building be "repaired thoroughly." During Reconstruction, Atlanta was designated state capital, and from July 1868 to January 1869, the city hall-county courthouse took on a third function — Georgia’s Capitol.
Conditions became so overcrowded, however, that the nearby unfinished Kimball Opera House was converted for use as the state’s capitol.
After Georgia’s state government moved to its new home, the city hall-county courthouse continued as home for Atlanta and Fulton County governments for nearly a decade.
In 1877, in a deal to keep the state capital from returning to its pre-Civil War site in Milledgeville, Atlanta officials offered to tear down the city hall-county courthouse and build a new state capitol. When the legislature accepted the offer, Fulton County made plans for a new court facility.
In 1879, the Georgia legislature passed a law allowing Fulton to levy a tax to fund construction
of a courthouse.Fulton County’s new courthouse was completed in 1882. The new two-story red brick structure with a prominent clock tower was located at the corner of Hunter St. [now MLK Jr. Ave.] and Pryor St. —the site of the current Fulton County Courthouse.
Construction of Fulton’s first freestanding courthouse began in 1881. Completed in 1882, the courthouse had cost Fulton taxpayers the grand sum of $100,000.
By 1907, plans were underway for a new, larger courthouse to serve the county containing the Capitol of the New South.
An act passed by the legislature allowed Fulton to issue bonds to finance a new courthouse. In 1911 the old courthouse was torn down and work began on Fulton County's third courthouse.
When completed in 1914 at a cost of $1,250,000, Fulton County had Georgia's first million-dollar courthouse. It was also the state’s largest government building, surpassing the domed Georgia state capitol in square footage.
Despite the court’s impressive size, by the 1960s Fulton County's growing population again necessitated additional space. This time the expansion was for the county's government which had been housed in the Courthouse.
A new six-story Fulton County Administration Building was built behind the Courthouse to house county agencies, officials, and the Fulton County Commission.
By the 1980s, Fulton’s county government had again outgrown its existing facility and in 1986 work began on a new Fulton County Government Center. The modern glass and concrete structure across Pryor Street from the entrance of the Fult
on Courthouse was completed in 1989.The Fulton County Administration Building on Central Avenue was torn down in the 1990s and replaced by a nine-story Fulton Justice Tower that opened in 1993.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Social Media and the Court
I didn't get to go to this year's Court Technology conference, but I have been reading and watching what went on, including that the keynote speaker made the case for the use of social media like Twitter, blogs and Facebook by the courts.
One of the democratizing consequences of the web is that even without funds to pay for going and staying at such gatherings one can hear CTC 2009 Keynoter, NPR Justice Correspondent Ari Shapiro, say that Twitter will soon announce new court opinions and public interest and transparency demands that courts make use of these new technologies.
The video replay of Shapiro's presentation is on the CTC 2009 Blog at http://pluginpowerup.org/ through the National Center for State Court's CTC Conference Video Streams at http://www.icmelearning.com/ctc/
This year's conference program, The Role of Social Networking Tools for the Courts, continued with speakers defining and describing three of these new technologies: blogs, Twitter and Facebook.
Among the reasons cited as to why Courts should use these web2.0 products:
people trust the more personal word of mouth information,
people are already talking about the court, awareness in order to avoid pitfalls,
people are replacing traditional media with social media and
people build relationships with the legal community through engagement with technology.
You see the thread - people.
Blogs are another way to engage people and bring new audiences for court information resulting in a better understanding of the courts by the public. An advantage of blogs is they're not as static as a website and can be updated quickly and frequently and can put a more personal face on the court. The Las Vegas Clark County blog was presented as good example of a court blog.
Twitter was described a great way to listen to the world around you. It allows for the broadcast of real time announcements and can be used to drive awareness to other sites and tools. Presenters even mentioned that liked the way our court the Superior Court of Fulton County Georgia had announcements and real time information on Twitter http://twitter.com/FultonCourtInfo that linked to the court blog http://www.insidecourt.blogspot.com/. and our website http://www.fultoncourt.org/. :)
Facebook can present the courts perspective, discuss and listen. New Jersey courts are on Facebook where they have links to news, photos from court events, announcements and links to YouTube videos.
Judges, court administrators and clerks of court should make awareness and self education about social media a priority.
Each group should monitor the technologies for discussions of court cases or judicial issues. by being aware of the use of social media by jurors and witnesses judges can develop better media access policies. Court administrators can use their knowledge to develop better social media policies for staff and create outreach programs that increase court transparency.
PR guys and gals should add social media to their press contact strategies.
Court clerk’s can use social media to post announcements, spotlight frequently asked questions or create a virtual tour of the court’s work flow.
The very best way to learn about these new technologies, the experts say, is to jump right in, sign up and see how it all works.
One of the democratizing consequences of the web is that even without funds to pay for going and staying at such gatherings one can hear CTC 2009 Keynoter, NPR Justice Correspondent Ari Shapiro, say that Twitter will soon announce new court opinions and public interest and transparency demands that courts make use of these new technologies.
The video replay of Shapiro's presentation is on the CTC 2009 Blog at http://pluginpowerup.org/ through the National Center for State Court's CTC Conference Video Streams at http://www.icmelearning.com/ctc/
This year's conference program, The Role of Social Networking Tools for the Courts, continued with speakers defining and describing three of these new technologies: blogs, Twitter and Facebook.
Among the reasons cited as to why Courts should use these web2.0 products:
people trust the more personal word of mouth information,
people are already talking about the court, awareness in order to avoid pitfalls,
people are replacing traditional media with social media and
people build relationships with the legal community through engagement with technology.
You see the thread - people.
Blogs are another way to engage people and bring new audiences for court information resulting in a better understanding of the courts by the public. An advantage of blogs is they're not as static as a website and can be updated quickly and frequently and can put a more personal face on the court. The Las Vegas Clark County blog was presented as good example of a court blog.
Twitter was described a great way to listen to the world around you. It allows for the broadcast of real time announcements and can be used to drive awareness to other sites and tools. Presenters even mentioned that liked the way our court the Superior Court of Fulton County Georgia had announcements and real time information on Twitter http://twitter.com/FultonCourtInfo that linked to the court blog http://www.insidecourt.blogspot.com/. and our website http://www.fultoncourt.org/. :)
Facebook can present the courts perspective, discuss and listen. New Jersey courts are on Facebook where they have links to news, photos from court events, announcements and links to YouTube videos.
Judges, court administrators and clerks of court should make awareness and self education about social media a priority.
Each group should monitor the technologies for discussions of court cases or judicial issues. by being aware of the use of social media by jurors and witnesses judges can develop better media access policies. Court administrators can use their knowledge to develop better social media policies for staff and create outreach programs that increase court transparency.
PR guys and gals should add social media to their press contact strategies.
Court clerk’s can use social media to post announcements, spotlight frequently asked questions or create a virtual tour of the court’s work flow.
The very best way to learn about these new technologies, the experts say, is to jump right in, sign up and see how it all works.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Fulton Superior Court judges to work 3 days without pay
Fulton County Superior Court judges have voted to work three days without pay in response to the state’s fiscal crisis.
Chief Judge Doris Downs said the court’s judges will voluntarily reduce their salary by one day each month for the rest of this year.
“This is not a furlough, it is a voluntary reduction in pay” explained Chief Judge Downs. The Courts will remain open for business as usual.
“It is important to this bench that the public see no cuts in service,” she said. “The only cut will be in the judges’ salaries.”
The Fulton Superior Court bench adopted this cost-saving measure because the Georgia Constitution forbids judges’ salaries from being cut, but it does not prevent them from returning a portion of their pay.
Downs said that the Fulton Superior Court judges hope their action will prevent further cuts which will impact the Court’s ability to hear and decide cases.
The days that the judges are forfeiting their pay are October 9; November 25 and December 23. Those days were selected because they coincide with furlough days adopted by some other jurisdictions.
Fulton Superior Court is the state’s largest and busiest trial court with more than 30,000 cases filed annually.
Chief Judge Doris Downs said the court’s judges will voluntarily reduce their salary by one day each month for the rest of this year.
“This is not a furlough, it is a voluntary reduction in pay” explained Chief Judge Downs. The Courts will remain open for business as usual.
“It is important to this bench that the public see no cuts in service,” she said. “The only cut will be in the judges’ salaries.”
The Fulton Superior Court bench adopted this cost-saving measure because the Georgia Constitution forbids judges’ salaries from being cut, but it does not prevent them from returning a portion of their pay.
Downs said that the Fulton Superior Court judges hope their action will prevent further cuts which will impact the Court’s ability to hear and decide cases.
The days that the judges are forfeiting their pay are October 9; November 25 and December 23. Those days were selected because they coincide with furlough days adopted by some other jurisdictions.
Fulton Superior Court is the state’s largest and busiest trial court with more than 30,000 cases filed annually.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Reducing Family Violence
This week our court marked the beginning of a partnership with two volunteer groups who are seeking to reduce the toll of domestic violence.Since February more than 1,600 people have come to the Safe Families Office set up in Courtroom 6G.
Inside they have found help. Help in overcome their fear. Help in taking steps to remove themselves from the constant threat of violence.
One woman came seeking a temporary protective order from her husband, who was at home with their children.
She told the volunteers in Safe Families Office that the night before, distraught over the loss of his job her husband became enraged as they argued and pulled a gun on her. Safe Families volunteers quickly helped her obtain the necessary order, but it was what they afterwards that made the real difference.
As they do with all Safe Families clients, a volunteer walked with the woman through our sprawling court complex to the Fulton County Sherriff’s office to be sure the Sherriff had everything needed to serve the order. Because the woman’s husband had a gun and because the victim suspected there may be violence when she returned, the Safe Families volunteer arranged for Sheriff’s deputies to accompany her home.
As she had feared, her husband brandished the gun when she arrived and held their children hostage. A SWAT team was called and eventually the standoff was resolved without anyone being injured.
But what could have happened to that woman and all the others is what keeps Safe Families volunteers from the Partnership Against Domestic Violence and Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers coming back day after day.
And, while all of the stories don't end as well, our Court is proud to support the work of these dedicated volunteers.
Our court was one of the first to establish a dedicated Family Court to address the issues unique to domestic litigation.
Family Court , begun in July 1998, includes legal, psychological, and social services professionals who help resolve multiple family disputes in a coordinated, non-confrontational, and speedy manner. In 2008, Family Court heard more than 5,000 cases. More than 22,500 people called the Court's Family Law Information Center for assistance and more than 12,200 people came to the center for assistance, including free lawyer consultations.
Family Court’s free Internet-based I-CAN! program helps self-represented individuals complete legal forms in domestic cases.
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