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opt in ( contact : mcvirtual6A @ atlantaga . gov ). The Municipal Court of Atlanta ’ s full COVID-19 Operation plan is accessible here : https :// court . atlantaga . gov / wpcontent / uploads / 2020 / 11 / MCA-COVID- Operations-SOP . pdf
- Chief Judge Christopher Portis
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CLAYTON STATE COURT : We have one courtroom open , and each judge takes one day per week to use it for hybrid in-person and Zoom calendars . For now , everything else is on Zoom . No jury trials yet . Jury trials are tentatively scheduled to start in August , with only one or two courtrooms open each day for jury , with staggered report times and days of the week . Non-jury matters will stay on Zoom as much as possible , and will be added back slowly into in-person proceedings with staggered days and times to report . Grand jury is set to start in May , absent some unforeseen disaster .
- Chief Judge Linda Cowen
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COBB SUPERIOR COURT : I would not characterize it as an “ opening up ” because that implies a closure . I know a few places have more or less been closed down , but I don ’ t think that ’ s the norm for the judiciary as a whole . We have been doing a lot on Zoom in the last year . We conducted a courthouse technology upgrade , and most of our bench has opted to be present in an open courtroom rather than using livestreaming for public access . In late February , I loosened up the restrictions on in-person proceedings from “ essential matters only ” to basically anything . For the most part we use Zoom , only bringing in difficult cases or cases that don ’ t really lend themselves to virtual court , such as pro se cases and some criminal matters . At first we are doing one jury trial at a time in our ceremonial courtroom , as it ’ s the only courtroom that is big enough to accommodate a jury trial . After we conduct a few jury trials we plan to move to two trials at a time . To do that , we will utilize two other regular sized courtrooms . One courtroom will contain the participants , and the other courtroom will be for public viewing , victim ’ s family , and defendant ’ s family .
- Chief Judge Robert D . Leonard II
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DEKALB JUVENILE COURT : We will be doing a hybrid court with both in-person hearings being scheduled on designated days and virtual hearings being scheduled on designated days , to accommodate the public .
- Chief Judge Vincent Crawford
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DEKALB STATE COURT : We are assuming that in-person proceedings on a limited basis will begin in the next Judicial Order , although our District Administrative Judge states that will depend on DeKalb County having an infection rate of 130 per 100,000 which is presently slightly above that . There will basically be only one judge per floor conducting in person proceedings , and there will be limitations on the number of persons per floor under current plans . Superior Court will be conducting its first jury trial the first week of June , so we anticipate that State Court will be limiting itself to non-jury proceedings in the first month .
- Chief Judge Wayne Purdom
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DEKALB SUPERIOR & PROBATE COURTS As for DeKalb County , we have never closed and will resume in-person hearings in May of 2021 . Upon arrival at the courthouse , every person must check in for a brief health screening and temperature check near the entrance to the courthouse and upon clearance , they will be provided a colored wrist band indicating that they have successfully cleared the health screening . Individuals will then proceed to the security screening area where a video will play on a continuous loop , providing instructions about the safety features of the courthouse . After proceeding through the security screening with the Sheriff ’ s Department , people will go to the newly upgraded elevators which have been designed to allow each person to “ call ” a selected floor . The elevator door will open with markers as to where individuals must stand inside the elevator and with limited capacity and social distancing inside . The elevator will only travel to the elevator floor called . Staff will assist visitors to their destination . Once inside an office or courtroom , there is clearly marked signage indicating where individuals should sit or stand . Additionally , plexiglass dividers have been placed in many of the spaces to further insure safety . During the pandemic , we have installed an advanced ionization filtration system in our buildings to ensure that circulated air is filtered and cleaned regularly , and we have placed visible HEPA filters in the courtrooms to provide the public with a visual assurance about air safety .
Regarding operations , applications for marriage and gun licenses through the Probate Court remain available by appointment only , as well as certain functions in the Office of the Clerk of Court . Jury trials will resume by division with judges observing a maximum floor and courtroom capacity and by providing a space for the
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IN THE PROFESSION
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