A bill that would provide an additional judge to Gwinnett County’s state court is awaiting Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature after recently passing both houses of the legislature.
“We are just really pleased and we were happy to work with our legislators on this,” said Chief Judge Pamela D. South. “We’re really happy that we’re able to continue to serve the citizens of Gwinnett.”
Gwinnett’s state court handles misdemeanor criminal cases, traffic violations and civil cases that do not fall under the superior court’s jurisdiction. There are currently six judges.
A bipartisan group of metro Atlanta legislators, led by Dacula Republican Rep. Chuck Efstration, sponsored House Bill 1570, which would authorize Kemp to appoint a seventh judge to take office Jan. 1. The seat would be on the 2024 nonpartisan ballot and would be a four-year term.
A seventh judge would help clear a backlog and handle what seems to be a continually growing case volume, South said.
The coronavirus pandemic halted jury trials for more than a year, causing a bottleneck exacerbated by Gwinnett’s growing population. South estimated each judge delayed about 200 cases per month on jury calendars during that time, despite handling some through plea deals, mediation and settlement conferences.
“We tried other means to have some case movement, and to a certain extent that helped, but it was not as much as we needed,” she said.
The number of civil cases has jumped over the past few years in Gwinnett, and many require jury trials. Lawsuits that seek large amounts of compensation — such as wrongful death, medical malpractice and product liability — need juries of 12 people and trials that can last weeks, South said.
“We are trying more and more complex cases,” she said.
A seventh judge would make more than $177,000, given the statewide raise for judges that took effect this week.
Gwinnett’s state court operates out of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center in Lawrenceville, where it has six full-sized courtrooms and a seventh that might be too small for some hearings. The building has office space for a seventh judge and everyone will work together to resolve the issue of courtroom space, South said.
Gwinnett County would provide equipment and personnel for the additional judge, according to the bill.
District 1 Commissioner Kirkland Carden said the county commission will determine how much more to allocate to state court after Kemp signs the bill. The solicitor general’s office might also need more staff and space to handle an increased case load, Carden said.
Two Gwinnett state court seats are on the May ballot. There is a three-way open race to replace South, who is retiring. The next chief judge, decided by seniority, will be Carla E. Brown.
Judge Ronda Colvin Leary is running for re-election unopposed.
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