Georgia courts journal, Sept. 2007

A Publication of the Judicial Council of Georgia
September 2007
Judicial Council Meeting . . . . . . . . . . .pg 1 People & Places . . . .pg 2 AOC Grant Report . .pg 4 Drug Court Conference . . . . . . . .pg 5 E-Filing in Child Support Cases . . . . .pg 6 Directory Corrections . . . . . . . .pg 8
Judicial Council of Georgia
See inside back cover for names of members pictured.

Georgia Courts Journal
Administrative Office of the Courts 244 Washington Street, SW, Suite 300 Atlanta, GA 30334
Leah Ward Sears
Chief Justice
David L. Ratley
Director
Courts Journal Staff Billie Bolton
Assistant Director for Communications
Ashley G. Stollar
Graphic Designer

1 Georgia Courts Journal September 2007

Summer Meetings of Judicial Council

The Judicial Council of Georgia carried out important business during the summer months, meeting June 11 in Jekyll Island, and August 28 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Workload Assessment

Chief Judge Joe C. Bishop,

Pataula

Judicial

Circuit,

and Dr.

Greg

Arnold,

AOC

Senior

Assist. Director for

Judge Bishop, left, listens as Dr. Greg Arnold answers a question regarding the time and motion study.

Research, reported the results of the

Workload Assessment Committee's

ongoing projects which included

new average time to disposition fig-

ures for each type of case heard in

superior courts.

Although the Council approved

the new average time to disposition

figures as presented, further action is

required by the Judicial Council

before their use in the Judgeship

Study.

A Seat at the Table

The Council of Municipal Court

Judges

now has

an ex-

officio

mem-

bership

on the

Judicial

Council. Chief Judge

Judge Cielinski (center) of Columbus, listens along with Judge Jim Clarke and Judge Brenda Cole as Council business is discussed

Michael P. Cielinski, who served as president of the municipal court judge's council until recently, took his seat at the June meeting.

Judgeship Recommendations

At it's August meeting, the

Council considered recommenda-

tions

for new

superior

court

judge-

ships.

After

review-

ing caseload

AOC Research staff and Chief Judge Anne Elizabeth Barnes (standing) tally votes.

data for the requesting circuits, the

Council approved the following

requests in order of priority:

1. Alcovy Circuit 2. Northeastern Circuit 3. Atlanta Circuit 4. Flint Circuit 5. Brunswick Circuit 6. Douglas Circuit 7. Piedmont Circuit 8. Mountain Circuit 9. Tifton Circuit 10. Alapaha Circuit 10. Southern Circuit

Chesshire Recognized for Service

Mr. Skip Chesshire, Court

Administrator, Cobb Superior

Court,

was rec-

ognized

by the

Judicial

Council

for the

signifi-

cant contributions made

Mr. Skip Chesshire, center, with Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears and AOC Director David Ratley at the presentation luncheon.

during his 20 years of service to the

courts. A Resolution from the

group was passed at the August 28

meeting and presented to Mr.

Chesshire during a luncheon. Most

recently, Mr. Chesshire was presi-

dent of the National Association of

Court Administrators. In attendance

were judges of the Cobb Superior

Court, friends, and staff.

Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Judicial Council will be held December 11, 2007, at the Wyndam Vinings Hotel in Atlanta. For more information about the meeting, contact Ms. Terry Cobb at 404-656-5171.

2007-2008 Georgia Courts Directory Now Available!

Your copy should be on your desk by now. Additional copies are $25. For more information, contact Ashley Stollar at stollara@gaaoc.us

Agendas for Judicial Council meetings can be found at http://www.georgiacourts.org/councils/jc.html

People, Places, & Events

In Memoriam

Appointments

Transitions

Senior Judge A. Blenn Taylor of St. Simons Island died June 12, 2007. Judge Taylor assumed senior status on January 1, 2001 after 21 years on the bench of the Brunswick Judicial Circuit. He attended Campbell University and Wake Forest University and earned his law degree from John Marshall Law School.
Judge W. Glenn Thomas of Jesup died July 9, 2007 as a result of injuries sustained in an assault. Judge Thomas served two terms in the Georgia General Assembly before becoming District Attorney for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, a post he held for 29 years. After his retirement in 1997, he went into private practice and served as judge of the municipal courts of the cities of Jesup and Screven.
Senior Judge Ralph H. Hicks of Atlanta died unexpectedly August 7, 2007. Judge Hicks was appointed in 1978 to the Fulton County Superior Court where he served until 1990.
Judge Hicks graduated from Emory University Law School. He served as president of the Atlanta Bar Association in the 1970s and more recently acted as a mediator and arbitrator.

On May 27, 2007, Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed Mr. Brian K. Fortner as Solicitor-General of Douglas County following the resignation of Mr. Gregory R. Barton.
Judge Tom Rawlings, Juvenile Court, Middle Judicial Circuit, has been appointed Georgia's Child Advocate by Gov. Sonny Perdue. Judge Rawlings, a juvenile court judge since October 2000, began his new position on July 1, 2007.
Judge Lisa C. Jones, Juvenile Courts, Southwestern Judicial Circuit, was appointed to the Georgia Commission on Child Support by Gov. Sonny Perdue on August 2, 2007.
The Judicial Nominating Commission has forwarded shortlists to Gov. Sonny Perdue for newly-created superior court judgeships in the Cobb, Cordele, Dublin, Enotah, and Gwinnett Judicial Circuits, as well as state court judgeships in Clarke and Richmond counties.

"Your Guide to the Georgia Courts" Brochure is Available!
Call 404-656-6783 today for copies.

Chief Judge Bryant Culpepper, Macon Judicial Circuit, has announced his upcoming retirement on October 31, 2007. Judge Culpepper was elected to the bench in 1982 to succeed his father Senior Judge George Culpepper; he became chief judge in 2007. He will enter private practice upon his retirement.
Judge Neal Dickert, Augusta Judicial Circuit, has announced his retirement on October 31, 2007. Judge Dickert was elected to the bench in 1996 and plans to enter private practice.
DeKalb County State Court Clerk Kenneth Cheek retired on June 30, 2007 after serving 29 years with the court. Ms. Betty Sanders succeeds Mr. Cheek as state court clerk.
Piedmont Judicial Circuit District Attorney Timothy G. Madison has resigned his position. Gov. Sonny Perdue has appointed Mr. Richard Bridgeman of Hoschton to fill the vacancy.
Effective August 1, 2007, Mr. Randy Dennis was named AOC Associate Director for the Financial Administration Division.
Ms. Jane Martin has been designated Associate Director for the Children, Families, and the Courts Division of the agency.

2 Georgia Courts Journal September 2007

Submit your item for People, Places & Events. E-mail stollara@gaaoc.us to be included in the next Georgia Courts Journal.

3 Georgia Courts Journal September 2007

People, Places, & Events cont.

Judicial Center Opening
On June 22, 2007, the Gregory A. Adams Juvenile Justice Center in DeKalb County was officially opened in a ceremony led by Justice Robert Benham, Supreme Court of Georgia.
DeKalb County Juvenile Justice Center
Administrative Judges
Judge Anne Workman, Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit, has been elected as the Judicial Administrative Judge for the Fourth Judicial Administrative District which includes DeKalb and Rockdale counties.

Judge Michael Karpf has been named Administrative Judge for the Eastern Judicial Circuit by Chief Judge Perry Brannen. Judge Karpf will be responsible for overall court operations in the circuit. Judge Perry Brannen continues as Chief Judge.
Awards
The National Bar Association, the country's oldest and largest African American bar association honored two members of the Georgia Supreme Court at its 82nd Annual Convention in Atlanta.
On July 31, Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears received the Honorable A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. Memorial Award presented by the Young Lawyers Division.
On August 1, Justice Robert Benham was recognized with the William H. Hastie Award, the NBA Judicial Council's highest award recognizing legal and judicial scholarship.

Two Cobb Judicial Circuit judges were honored by the State Bar of Georgia at is summer meeting in Ponte Vedra, Florida. Judge Adele Grubbs received the Local Bar Excellence in Bar Leadership Award, and Judge George Kreeger received the Chief Justice Thomas O. Marshall Professionalism Award.
Mr. Pete Skandalakis, District Attorney of the Coweta Judicial Circuit, was named District Attorney of the Year by the District Attorneys' Association during its Annual Summer Conference on Jekyll Island.
Mr. Otis Scarbary, SolicitorGeneral of Bibb County, was named Solicitor of the Year by the Georgia Association of Solicitor's General during its Annual Summer Conference on Jekyll Island.

Georgia Supreme Court Honors National Mock Trial Champions

The Jonesboro High School Mock Trial Team (at right) was honored Monday, May 21, 2007, by the Supreme Court of Georgia for its national win in Dallas, Texas on May 12.
Moments before the court began oral arguments for the day, Justice George H. Carley called the team and its coaches before the bench and read a proclamation honoring the team and its achievement.
The Council of State Court Judges is a sponsor of the state Mock Trial Program.
Judge John C. Carbo, III, State Court of Clayton County (front right) accepted the Supreme Court's proclamation on behalf of the team.
Georgia will host the National Mock Trial Championship in 2009 in Atlanta.

GArOanCt GRreapnotrst Funding Report

Grant Funds
The golf cart trails were bustling in
PeacShtereecCuitry,eGdA, wihnen FtheY200077Drug
atonwdnPDrMUoaIjyeC2co9ut-rt&JuCnoSen1ofe.ruenrcceecame to
The Judicial Council of Georgia's Standing Committee on Drug Courts
hostDedUI3V7i5decoonferees eager to learn more
about(GaOcHcoS)un. t.a.b. i.li.t.y. .c.o.u.r.ts. .a.n.d. .t.h.$e8ir5,000 affect on the judicial system and commu-
nitieGs.A JAulldiagnesc,ecfoour rDtraudgministrators, program Efnacdialintagteorresd, aCnhdildmreendical profession-
als att(eGnAdDeHdR)th. .e.c.o. n. .fe.r.e.n.c.e. .w. h. .o.s.e.3th33e,m33e3 was "Bridges to Recovery through
Acco7uthntDaibsitlriitcyt."Drug Courts
Sp(UeSakHeeraslthin&clHuudmedanDSerruvgiceCs)za.r. D.36r.9,782 Bertha Madras; Mr. West Huddleston,
CEOChoilfdthSuepNpoatritoCnoaml Amsissosicoiantion of Drug
Cour(tGAPrDoHfRe)ss.i.o.n.a.l.s;. .D. .r.. .C.a.r.l.o. . . . .276,912
Child Support E-filing
(GA DHR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473,495
Mountain Judicial Circuit
(CJCC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22,000
Domestic Violence Courts
(COSCA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49,558
Committee on Justice for Children
(US Health & Human Services) . . . .875,155
Task Force to Promote Criminal Justice/Mental Health Collaboration
(Council of State Governments) . . . . .14,543
Committee on Civil Justice
(State Justice Institute) . . . . . . . . . .30,000
TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,529,778

During Fiscal Year 2007, the AOC secured grants totaling $2.5 million DtioCsleumppenotret, tPhreofwesosorrkooffPGsyecohrogloiagy, Ucnoiuverrtssi.tyFoufnMdasrfyrloanmd staBtealtainmdorneationCaolusnotuyr;caensdaCrehbieefinJugstuicseedLefaohr WpraordSgearrasm, SsuapsrevmareieCdoausrtmoef nGteaol rhgeiaa,ltwhho gaisvseutehse, dclrousgincgoruemrtas,rkdsotmo tehsteiccovnifoelre-nce enpcreo.grams, civil justice initiatives, and edFuocratmioonraelinvfiodremosa.tion on the Drug, DUI, and Mental Health Courts, contact
JaSnuepMreamrtein,CAouOrCt Associate Director for
ChTildhreenC, oFuamnciliilesoafnSdtattheeGCoovuerrtn,matents 4a0w4-a4r6d3e-d42a6$61. 4,543 grant to participate in a Chief Justice-led Task Force to Promote Criminal Justice/Mental Health Collaboration. Georgia is one of seven participating states.
A $30,000 State Justice Institute grant will be used by the Supreme Court's Committee on Civil Justice to develop a strategic plan.
The Committee on Justice for Children, formerly the Child Placement Project, is chaired by Justice Harris Hines of the Supreme Court of Georgia. The committee administers federal funds ($875,155) provided to the states for improvement in Georgia's juvenile court services and legal proceedings for neglected and abused children.
Judicial Response to Domestic Violence
The Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) awarded a $49,558 grant which will be used to assess the current judicial response to domestic violence and to develop a protocol and action plan for the implementation of domestic violence courts.

Additionally, the Council of Magistrate Court Judges is developing a Domestic Violence Benchbook.
Accountability Courts
The AOC and Seventh District Court Administrator Jody Overcash won funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSA TCE ), US Department of Health and Human Services. The $369,782 grant will be used to fund drug courts in the Conasauga and Tallapoosa Judicial Circuits.
An $85,000 grant was awarded by the Governor's Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) to study the effectiveness of DUI courts and to create a public informational DVD. The AOC partnered with the Council of State Court Judges to secure the grant.
The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) granted the Mountain Judicial Circuit Drug Court $22,000.
For more information on AOC grant projects and assistance for applying, contact Ms. Eden Freeman, Program Manager, AOC Grants and Project Management, at freemane@gaaoc.us or 404-463-0043.
Please Recycle

4 Georgia Courts Journal September 2007

5 Georgia Courts Journal September 2007

2007 Drug Court Conference
"Bridges to Recovery Through Accountability"
The golf cart trails were bustling in Peachtree City, when the 2007 Drug and DUI Court Conference came to town May 29 - June 1.
The Judicial Council of Georgia's Standing Committee on Drug Courts hosted 375 conferees eager to learn more about accountability courts and their effectiveness. Georgia judges, court administrators, program facilitators, and medical professionals attended the conference whose theme was "Bridges to Recovery through Accountability."
Speakers included US Drug Czar Dr. Bertha Madras; Mr. West Huddleston, CEO of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals; Dr. Carlo DiClemente, Professor of Psychology, University of Maryland Baltimore County; and Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears, Supreme Court of Georgia.
For more information on the Drug, DUI, and Mental Health Courts, contact Ms. Jane Martin, AOC Associate Director for Children, Families and the Court, at 404-4634266.
Conference attendees, above, were able to choose from breakout sessions, including: Treatment 101 for Non-Treatment Professionals; Recovery and Aftercare Design; Mental Health Court; How to Start a 501(c)3; Confidentiality and Ethics; and Next Steps for Family Dependency Treatment Courts among others.

US Drug Czar Dr. Bertha Madras opened the conference on May 29.
Mark Your Calendar
The 2008 Drug Court Conference will be held July 17 - 19 at the Wyndham
in Peachtree City.

Judge Kent Lawrence (left), State Court of Clarke County, listens to Mr. West Huddleston of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals.

E-filing Pilot Project Report

Office of Child Support Enforcement and Courts in Bibb, Washington Counties at Work

Two counties in middle Georgia are participating in a child support e-filing capability pilot project being developed by the AOC's Information Technology Section. Since early June, Bibb and Washington superior courts have accepted filings of child support cases electronically.
Armed with a $473,495 federal grant and the cooperation of local judges, clerks of court, and staff of the Office of Child Support Services, Mr. Rex McElrath, Applications Development Manager, and his team of programmers at the AOC have created an integrated court management system which reduces the time and effort usually required for filing child support cases.
The Human Face of E-Filing
It comes as no great surprise that child support filings in Georgia courts are numerous and on the rise. It is also no surprise that behind each case filing, the welfare of a child or children is at stake. Any delay in pro-

cessing a child support case means a delay for a child's medical care, housing costs, or educational expenses.
Technically Speaking...
E-filing migrates what was once a paper-dependent realm to the digital domain.
Paperwork that in the past might have taken two to four weeks to process can now be handled in a matter of minutes. Tangible benefits of E-filing include reduction of staff time spent per filing, postage savings, and reduction of data entry errors.
Only recently, Bibb County Superior Court limited the number of child support filings it could accept to 40 per day. After the e-filing project began, 120 cases were filed in a single morning.
PDF (portable document file) documents are created and transmitted, secured by digital signatures. As stipulated in the grant contract, software produced by the AOC is OpenSource, meaning the code is

not copyrighted. The code is given to the user who may modify it and customize the code as necessary.
Now that the foundation of e-filing in the general jurisdiction courts has been created, e-filing can be expanded to other types of filings with little additional work.
By the Numbers
After three months, child support case filings in Bibb and Washington counties come to:
1183 active cases entered 1768 children involved 9133 documents involved 5280 digital signatures made:
2881 signed by attorneys 2399 signed by court clerks 1134 completed filings
For more information on the e-filing project, contact Mr. Rex McElrath at 404-657-9218.

GAWL Announces Half-Year Membership Rates

The Georgia Association for Women Lawyers (GAWL) has announced half-year membership rates, available as of July 1, 2007.
Membership benefits available under the half-year rates will be renewable at regular membership

rates after December 31, 2007. The current membership rates are
as follows: members of the judiciary and public interest attorneys, $25; all other licensed attorneys, $45; and law students, $10. To join go to www.gawl.org

For more information, contact Pilar Prinz, VP Membership (770858-1288, pprinz@cpmas.com) or Kathy Harrington, Chair Membership (770-914-1413, kathy@patentax.com).

6 Georgia Courts Journal September 2007

In the next issue of the Georgia Courts Journal: E-filing Initiatives in Georgia's Appellate Courts.

7 Georgia Courts Journal September 2007

From the Board of Court Reporting...

New Members Take Oath
On July 24, 2007, Chief Judge Anne Elizabeth Barnes (at podium), Court of Appeals of Georgia, administered the oath of office to members of the Board of Court Reporting. Sworn-in at the Board's meeting were (left to right) Ms. Kerry McFadden, Ms. Marilyn Roe, Mr. John K. Larkins, Jr., and Judge Linda S. Cowen, Chair. Board member Bill Abel was sworn-in separately.

-- CORRECTION -- Fee Schedule for Official Court Reporters

Please note the Fee Schedule published on page 7 of the May 2007 issue of the Georgia Courts Journal was incorrect.

Effective July 1, 2007, the new scale of compensation for court reporters appearing in court proceedings is as follows:

Per Diem

$184.54 to 8 hours $206.65 to 9 hours $221.45 maximum

2008 Court Reporting License Renewals
Effective January 1, 2008, every certified court reporter and registered court reporting firm eligible for renewal may process their License Renewal application online. Visit the Board of Court Reporting Licensing site at www.georgiacourts.org/agencies/bcr Click on the License Renewal link to begin the renewal process. Applicable renewal fees can be paid via our secure server using a Visa or Mastercard.
Please contact the Board if you would like a renewal form mailed to the address on file. A mailed license renewal form may take up to four weeks to process.
For more information, contact the Board of Court Reporting at 404-656-6422 or via email, bcr@gaaoc.us

Keep the Date
October 2-4, 2007 Court Technology Conference 10
Tampa, FL
October 18-19, 2007 Advancing Court Technology
Conference Suwanee, GA
October 29-31, 2007 Georgia Council of Court Administrators Meeting Athens, GA
December 11, 2007 Judicial Council Meeting Wyndham Vinings Hotel Atlanta, GA

Contact the Board of Court Reporting at 404-656-6422 or via email, bcr@gaaoc.us

"Let Justice Be Done"

Biography of Justice J. Harold Hawkins

A biography of Georgia Supreme Court Justice Harold Hawkins of Cobb County who served the Supreme Court from 1949 1960 has been written by Justice Hawkins' son-in-law, David A. Dosser, Sr.
The life of Justice Hawkins unfolds against the historical backdrop of another time: a time when an 8th grade education was not a limit to a man's ability to succeed.
Justice Hawkins began his legal career working as a stenographer for the Marietta law firm of Clay and Norris

and as a court report for the Blue

at Morris, Hawkins, and Wallace in

Ridge Judicial Circuit -- then com-

Marietta before being appointed to

prised of Cobb, Milton, Cherokee,

the superior court bench in the Blue

Gilmer, Fannin, Pickens and

Ridge Circuit in 1931.

Forsyth counties.

"Justice Harold

At that Hawkins was a man

time Georgia dedicated to the

law did not

administration of

require any justice according to

examination

the highest ideals of fairness, impartiali-

for admittance ty, compassion, and

to the bar for

fairness."

law school

"Let Justice Be Done" highlights events in Justice Hawkins' life on the bench. The author intersperses local newspaper articles with photographs and excerpts from speeches made by Justice Hawkins.
Copies of the book

graduates; however,

are available for $24.20 and can be

Justice Hawkins studied ordered at:

law in the evenings and http://letjusticebedone.info or by

went on to pass the bar

mail. Send check to David A. Dosser,

exam in 1916. He

Sr., PO Box 157, Hiawasee, GA

served as a law clerk at the Court of

30546.

Appeals of Georgia and was a partner

8 Georgia Courts Journal September 2007

Directory Corrections

Check here for recent changes to the 2007-2008 Georgia Courts Directory.

Superior Courts
Enotah Judicial Circuit Chief Judge David E. Barrett 706-439-6100/F 439-6099
Magistrate Courts
Catoosa County Delete: Judge Michael Alan Helton

Henry County Judge Robert L. Godwin 770-288-7700
Judge Martin Christopher Jones One Judicial Center McDonough, GA 30253 770-288-7700/F 288-7742

Superior Court Clerk
Berrien County Delete: Daniel V. Leccese
Public Defender
Stone Mountain Circuit Lawrence Schneider lschneider@gapublicdefender.org

Clayton County Delete: Judge Dorian Murry
Colquitt County Add: Judge Rick D. Collum PO Box 867 Moultrie, GA 31776 229-891-3000/F 985-5450
Fulton County Add: Judge James Altman 170 Mitchell Street, SW Atlanta, GA 30303 404-526-8868

Judge Kay Veasley One Judicial Center McDonough, GA 30253 770-288-7700/F 288-7742
Special Courts
Recorder's Court of DeKalb County Add: Judge Michael L. Rothenberg 990 Hammond Drive, Suite 1150 Atlanta, GA 30328 404-236-5000/F 236-5001

Juvenile Court Administrator
Rockdale County Keith Parkhouse 922 Court Street PO Box 452 Conyers, GA 30012 770-388-57634/F 388-5035 keith.parkhouse@rockdalecounty.org

Have Directory corrections? Fill out the "Address Corrections/Personnel Change" Form. Fax to 404-651-6449 or mia to AOC.

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Members of the Judicial Council of Georgia August 2007
1. Presiding Justice Carol W. Hunstein; 2. Judge Brenda H. Cole; 3. Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears; 4. Chief Judge Anne Elizabeth Barnes; 5. Judge Kimberly Warden; 6. Chief Judge Doris Downs; 7. Judge Anne Workman; 8. Judge Lillis Brown; 9. Judge Jim Clarke; 10. Judge Bill Clifton; 11. Judge Velma Tilley; 12. Judge Connie Holt; 13. Chief Judge John Ott; 14. Judge A. Quillian Baldwin; 15. Judge John C. Carbo, III; 16. Judge F. Gates Peed; 17. Judge Stan Smith; 18. Judge Steve Teske; 19. Chief Judge Shepherd Lee Howell; 20. Chief Judge Rucker Smith; 21. Judge Ronnie Joe Lane; 22. Judge Stephen S. Goss; 23. Chief Judge Arch McGarity; 24. Chief Judge David E. Barrett.
Not pictured: Judge M. Yvette Miller.

Courthouse Spotlight
Colquitt County
County Seat: Moultrie Built: 1902 Cost: $29,500 Judicial Circuit: Southern
Administrative Office of the Courts 244 Washington Street, SW, Suite 300 Atlanta, GA 30334