Fulton County Superior Court - Atlanta - Georgia

The Office of the Superior Court Administrator of Fulton County oversees the Atlanta Judicial Circuit, and the Fifth Judicial District of the State of Georgia with the Chief Judge being the administrative head. 

The Court appoints a chief administrative officer whose title is District / Superior Court Administrator, a position created by statute. The duties of a court administrator vary, depending on the location and size of the court in which they are employed. The court administrator functions in administrative areas rather than legal areas and needs the skills required of any professional position with managerial responsibility.

The Fulton County Superior Court Administrator is Judith A. Cramer. She is responsible for all administrative and executive operations of the Court which includes 20 judges, 15 programs, 260 plus employees and a combined budget of $24.5 million. She carries out these responsibilities through the coordinated efforts of two Deputy Court Administrators, Michael Cuffee who oversees Administrative Services and Robin Rooks who oversees Case Management and Accountability Courts.

The daily functions performed by The Superior Court Administrator and her staff include the following:

Caseflow Management – the management and coordination of processes by which courts move cases from filing to disposition, including the monitoring of post disposition activity, to ensure the integrity of court orders. Effective caseflow management requires continuous evaluation and problem identification and skillful leadership to implement needed change.

Human Resources Management – recruiting, selecting, training, developing, and counseling court employees; establishing ethical standards; administering wage, salary, and performance appraisal and reward systems; and facilitating personnel matters for judicial staff.

Fiscal Administration – preparing court budgets; administering accounting, purchasing, payroll, and financial control functions; and guiding the budget through state and local government review processes.

Technology Management – evaluating opportunities for technologies that expand the capacity of the court system. These include the use of personal computers to navigate on line information systems; provisions for the electronic transmission of and access to data, images, and other files in automated records management and retrieval systems; assessment of emerging technologies for video and telecommunications systems, multimedia tools for education, training, and information delivery, and other computer-assisted systems that can improve court performance.

Information Management – developing the capacity to deliver information to decision makers, monitoring system performance to milestones established by the court; informing court system employees of events that are outside performance measures established by the court and triggering appropriate intervention; providing appropriate electronic access to court information for attorneys, litigants, governmental agencies, and the general public.

Jury Management – managing the jury system in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

Space Management – managing physical space to assure access to all citizens, provide adequate room for work and circulation, and instill public confidence.

Intergovernmental Liaison – acting as a liaison to other governmental agencies and departments to promote collaboration, integration of systems, and facilitation of change, while maintaining the integrity of the court as a separate but equal branch of government.

Community Relations and Public Information – acting as a clearinghouse for the release of information to the media and the public; collecting and publishing data on pending and completed judicial business and internal functions of the court system. Developing relations with community groups to improve perception of the judiciary.

Research and Advisory Services – identifying organizational problems and recommending procedural and administrative changes.

Secretarial Services – acting as staff for the judicial committees or organizations.