Fulton County Superior Court - Atlanta - Georgia

Growing Caseload = Management Changes

Since 2002, the Fulton Superior Court’s caseload has increased 27 percent. The court is now Georgia’s busiest, serving the judicial needs of approximately 980,000 county residents and hearing all lawsuits filed against Georgia’s state government.

In 2008, Georgia’s largest and busiest trial court became the first in the state to adopt specialty courts focusing exclusively on civil and criminal cases.Judges of the Superior Court of Fulton County have created two, three-judge specialty teams.

One group of three judges will focus exclusively on civil cases; the second will preside only over criminal cases.

Members of the new civil court team are: Chief Judge Doris L. Downs and Judges Jerry W. Baxter and Melvin K. Westmoreland. Criminal court team judges are: Judges Marvin S. Arrington Sr., T. Jackson Bedford Jr. and Michael D. Johnson.

Non-Complex Felony Court Resolves Non-violent Drug and Property Crimes

Another case management innovation by the Fulton Superior Court is the creation of Non-Complex felony case calendar. In this process, begun in 2006, prosecution and defense lawyers and court staff stay assigned to a case from arrest through conclusion.

Judge Alford J. Dempsey Jr. oversees cases in the Non-Complex felony court.

The Non-Complex felony court has had a large impact on the length of time it takes to conclude cases because the category comprises 80 percent of all felony cases filed each year in Fulton.

More than 90 percent of these cases are resolved within nine weeks of arrest. The small number remaining are immediately reset to begin the nine-week process anew. This process has produced real change and reduced costs.

Earlier, Fulton Superior Court had taken a number of other innovative steps to improve case-flow while ensuring that each case receives adequate attention and due legal process.

Accountability Courts

Approximately 80 percent of individuals booked into the Fulton County Jail for non-complex felony offenses have either tested positive for some illegal drug or they have refused to submit to testing. This figure portends no relief from the addiction-fueled crime that has had such a devastating impact on the number of individuals booked into the County Jail.

In order to address this pressing need, the Fulton County Superior Court established one of the first drug courts in the nation and also launched a pilot mental health court at the end of 2006.

The Fulton County Drug Court works with a population that has significant risk factors and few intact protective factors. The program has one of the most open admissions policy of any in the Southeast, accepting many offenders deemed inappropriate by other programs.

Despite these challenges, over the past decade only 34 percent of program graduates have been convicted of any subsequent crime.

Family Court

Some 10 years ago the Fulton Superior Court established a specialty team of three judges to hear litigation arising from domestic relations issues.

This Family Court is currently overseen by Judges Cynthia D. Wright, Gail S. Tusan and Bensonetta T. Lane.

In 2007, Family Court rolled out an innovative interactive web-based system that provides self-represented litigants with convenient access to vital legal services.  The I-CAN! program creates properly formatted pleadings and provides litigants with information on the steps needed to pursue a legal action.

I-CAN! uses a video to guide users through a series of questions, completing the appropriate legal form from the client’s answers.  I-CAN! allows users complete and file forms for a variety of domestic legal matters.

The Family Court One Stop program for people seeking protection from domestic violence and stalking assisted more than 2000 people in 2007.  Advocates from Partnership Against Domestic Violence and attorneys from Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation are available in the One Stop office to assist petitioners.

Family Court judges received more than 4500 domestic cases in 2007, disposing of more than 4400 cases.

The On Site Mediation Program provided no-cost mediation for more than 850 cases.

The Family Law Information Center (FLIC) received more than 18,000 telephone calls, served more than 5000 walk-in customers and provided 30 minutes of attorney consultation at no cost to more than 800 people.  

The Future

As caseloads increase and budgets shrink the Fulton County Superior Court will continue to lead the way in more efficient case management.

A recent study of the Court's caseload by the nationally-recognized Justice Management Institute is being combed for clues as to how the Court can continue to increase access to justice for all while improving the safety of our community.