Annual report, fy 2016

Judicial Council of Georgia
Administrative Office of the Courts
Annual Report
FY 2016 July 1, 2015 - June 30, 2016

Published by the Judicial Council of Georgia and the Administrative Office of the Courts in compliance
with O.C.G.A. 15-5-24 and by Order of the Supreme Court of Georgia
dated June 12, 1978.
Director, Cynthia H. Clanton
Judicial Council of Georgia Administrative Office of the Courts 244 Washington Street, SW Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30334
www.georgiacourts.gov
Cover Art: State of Georgia Judicial Building by Linda LeTard

The JUDICIAL COUNCIL OF GEORGIA
was created in 1945 to develop policies for administering and improving Georgia courts. Judicial Council members and committees meet throughout the year to address specific aspects of court administration and improvement. The Judicial Council is made up of 27 members who represent every class of court: the Chief Justice and Presiding Justice of the Supreme Court; two judges from the Court of Appeals; the presidents and presidents-elect of the superior, juvenile, state, probate, magistrate, and municipal court councils; ten judicial district administrative judges; and a representative of the State Bar of Georgia.
The ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE COURTS was created in 1973 as the staff for the
Judicial Council. O.C.G.A. 15-5-24 charges the AOC with providing services related to court administration, compiling data, examining dockets and making recommendations for expediting litigation, acting as fiscal officer for the Judicial Council, and making recommendations for improving court administration and the judicial system. The AOC accomplishes these charges by offering subject-matter expertise on policy, court innovation, legislation, and court administration to all Georgia courts.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

2

State of the Judiciary

4

Statement from Judicial Council/AOC Director

5

Judicial Council of Georgia

6

Strategic Plan

8

Judicial Council Actions

9

FY 2016 in Review

10

Budget

12

Judicial Council/AOC

28

Commission on Dispute Resolution

30

Training Councils

32

Highlights for 2016

44

Judicial Appointments and Elections

State of the Judiciary

Speaking to a joint session of the Georgia General Assembly, Chief Justice Hugh P. Thompson delivered his third State of the Judiciary address on January 27, 2016. "[A]s we move into 2016," the Chief Justice declared, "I am pleased to tell you that your judicial branch of government is not only steady and secure, it is dynamic; it has momentum; and it is moving forward into the 21st century with a vitality and a commitment to meeting the inevitable changes before us."

Many of the Chief 's remarks highlighted the great changes that have come to Georgia:

Population growth Georgia is among the fastest growing states in the nation, and in less than four years, our population is projected to exceed 12 million.

While the population of Georgia has nearly doubled since 1983, the number of Georgia judges has grown only 16 percent.

Shifting cases to the Court of Appeals
"Modernization of the Supreme Court makes sense," the Chief Justice said. "In a 19th century court system, when most of the wealth was tied up in land, maybe title to land cases were the most important. Maybe they had the greatest implications for the public at large. But as we move into the 21st century, that is no longer true.

"Let me emphasize that all these cases the Commission recommended shifting to the Court of Appeals are critically important to the parties involved.

"Let me also emphasize that the purpose of this historic change is not to

lessen the burden on the Supreme Court. Rather, the intent is to free up the

state's highest court to devote more time and energy to the most complex and

the most difficult cases that have the greatest implications for the law and

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society at large."

Open and transparent courts Our 21st century courts must be open, transparent, and accessible to all. Our citizens' confidence in their judicial system depends on it. We must be armed with qualified, certified interpreters, promote arbitration as an alternative to costly, courtroom-bound litigation, ensure that all those who cannot afford lawyers have an avenue toward justice, and be constantly updating technology with the aim of improving our courts' efficiency while saving literally millions of dollars.
Our goal is to develop a uniform statewide electronic filing and retrieval system so that lawyers and others throughout the judiciary can file and access data the easiest way possible. Using a single portal, attorneys will be able to file documents with trial courts and appellate courts and retrieve them from any court in the state.
As Georgia grows, it grows more diverse. Even for fluent English speakers, the judicial system can be confusing and unwelcoming.
"Chief Magistrate Kristina Blum of the Gwinnett County Magistrate Court has been working hard to ensure access to justice for all those who come to her court, most of whom are representing themselves.
"Recently her court created brochures that provide guidance for civil trials, family violence matters, warrant applications, garnishments, and landlord-tenant disputes. These brochures provide basic information."

Accountability Courts
Georgia now has 131 accountability courts, which include drug courts, DUI courts, juvenile and adult mental health courts, and Veterans courts. Today, only two judicial circuits in the state do not yet have a specialty court, and both are in the early stages of discussing the possibility of starting one.

"Chief Judge Richard Slaby of the Richmond County State Court, speaks with great pride of Judge David Watkins and the specialty courts that have grown under Judge Watkins' direction. Today the recidivism rate among the Augusta participants is less than 10 percent."

Judge David Watkins

In closing, Chief Justice Thompson said, "I thank all of our leaders, and I thank all of our judges who are leading our courts into the 21st century."

Read the full State of the Judiciary address at http://bit.ly/2016SOJ.

The Judicial Council and State Bar of Georgia hosted a reception for Legislators on January 27, 2016. Judges of the Judicial Council, Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and others met with a number of legislators immediately following the State of the Judiciary Address.

3

Director's Statement

On behalf of the Judicial Council and the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), I am pleased to present the 43rd annual report on our accomplishments during FY 2016. The AOC exists to serve the Judicial Council of Georgia, and that service is broad. Our charge from the Judicial Council's strategic plan is to improve justice in ALL Georgia courts, which we are striving to do through collaboration, innovation, and information. An important part of improving justice results from providing the best possible service to our courts. This year we made a three-minute explainer video which is on our website to begin to inform judges, lawyers, and the public about what the Judicial Council does and how the AOC supports it. We create this annual report to take stock of our work for the fiscal year from July 2015 through June 2016. You will read about the programs established or improved to provide better service. Other highlights include the AOC staff being invited to support the Criminal Justice Reform Council, making room for the expansion of the Supreme Court of Georgia by consolidating all staff on one floor and hosting multiple livestream classes, including a December 2015 class on successful communications for a high profile case or a crisis. Personally, I have been visiting our courts and attending Council meetings in an effort to get to know the judges and staff that we serve better; we have started a "Touch Every Court" initiative in which we ask our staff to fill out a survey regarding every court or judge visited. The information entered by staff then populates a map, which we use as a teaching tool to better understand the daily work of our state's courts. While we have an obligation to serve all clients, and to work with our partners that also serve the judiciary, we have a duty to serve the public at large by providing information and institutional support so people can navigate and receive justice from Georgia's courts. Part of our mission to improve justice is to take on the hard problems. The courts have a special obligation to serve our most fragile citizens children, victims of domestic violence, the poor, the elderly which cannot always be done with ease. But we have a duty to keep trying and experimenting and taking risks that will lead to improvement. This type of thinking permeates all our staff's work and is reflective in all our work products. Justice Harold Clarke used to say: "Justice belongs to everyone, or it belongs to nobody at all." Public service work has its own rewards because it is purpose driven work. Purpose has helped us attract new employees this past year, and I am privileged to be mentoring a new generation of dedicated, creative talent. We come to work every day, eager to take on hard problems. I am most optimistic about the future. I continue to thank you for this opportunity to serve the judges and the citizens of Georgia.

Cynthia H. Clanton

Director

4

Judicial Council/Administrative Office of the Courts

Judicial Council of Georgia

Chief Justice Hugh P. Thompson Chair Supreme Court
Presiding Justice P. Harris Hines Vice Chair Supreme Court
Chief Judge Sara L. Doyle Court of Appeals
Judge Stephen L.A. Dillard Court of Appeals
Judge Horace J. Johnson Council of Superior Court Judges
Judge Tilman E. Self III Council of Superior Court Judges
Judge Richard A. Slaby Council of State Court Judges

Judge Alice W. Padgett Council of Probate Court Judges
Judge Rooney Bowen III Council of Probate Court Judges
Judge Kristina Hammer Blum Council of Magistrate Court Judges
Judge James M. Griner Jr. Council of Magistrate Court Judges
Judge Gary E. Jackson Council of Municipal Court Judges
Judge John A. Roberts Council of Municipal Court Judges
Patrick T. O'Connor President, State Bar of Georgia Ex Officio

District Administrative Judges
Judge Stephen G. Scarlett First District
Judge Stephen S. Goss Second District
Judge Arthur L. Smith III Third District
Judge Tangela M. Barrie Fourth District
Judge Gail S.Tusan Fifth District
Judge Brian J. Amero Sixth District
Judge Jack Partain Seventh District

Judge Gregory Fowler Council of State Court Judges

Judge Donald W. Gillis Eighth District

Judge Benjamin P. Brinson Council of Juvenile Court Judges
Judge James R.Whitfield Council of Juvenile Court Judges

Judge Melodie Snell Conner Ninth District
Judge Carl C. Brown Tenth District
5

Strategic Plan

The Judicial Council Strategic Plan Implementation Committee met throughout FY 2016 to complete the objectives and initiatives of the Judicial Council's FY 2014 - 2016 Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan priority initiatives and their achievements are outlined below. A Strategic Plan Standing Committee was created in 2016 to develop and implement a strategic plan for FY 2017 - 2019.
1. Establish a baseline evaluation of current customer experience with Georgia courts, focusing on access and fairness measures. The AOC surveyed 114 locations and analyzed 3,868 responses. The feedback received from this evaluation was positive overall. Specific results were shared with the participating courts. It was suggested that this survey be conducted statewide on a regular basis.
2. Encourage Georgia courts to assess performance and develop improvement plans. The AOC launched a statewide CourTools training initiative to encourage the use of performance measurements to enhance court performance. The initiative included outreach to judges' and clerks' councils to build awareness of CourTools, and culminated in the presentation of the full certification course to approximately 40 court professionals in November 2014. The Judicial Council Workload Assessment Committee drafted new Georgia Model Time Standards that were circulated within all classes of courts. These Standards serve as voluntary goals for courts to use in setting their caseflow management strategies.
3. Implement ongoing strategic planning by the Judicial Council and AOC. The new Judicial Council bylaws, adopted in June 2015, require the Council to engage in ongoing strategic planning. A new Strategic Plan Standing Committee was appointed on January 6, 2016, and has begun developing a new strategic plan for FY 2017 - 2019 to ensure the accomplishment of this directive.
"I look
forward to the opportunity to
build
on the work already done through Judge Doyle's
leadership -- Judge Allen Wigington
6

Strategic Plan

4. Implement new approaches to engage the Judicial Council for legislative sessions. The Judicial Council's Policy and Legislative Committee instituted a white paper process whereby each class of court reviews proposed legislation and recommends whether or not it should be supported, opposed, or no position taken. The AOC monitors legislation, produces a legislative update, and keeps the judiciary informed during the legislative session. A designated legislative liaison for the Judicial Council/AOC serves as the point person with legislators, lobbyists, and the Governor's office.

5. Develop and implement new two-way communication strategies for Judicial Council/AOC to engage with judges. New strategies to improve communications have been implemented including: 1) providing simulcasts of educational information for judges; 2) transmitting all publications electronically while still providing judges with printed copies, upon their request; 3) simplifying our website to ensure access to relevant information; 4) training AOC staff to communicate more effectively with judicial clients throughout Georgia on the agency's services; and 5) communicating innovative and interesting information to the judiciary on a timely basis.

As part of the new communications strategies, a Judicial 6. Solicit input and develop recommendations

Council explainer video was developed for new members. https://vimeo.com/179183886

for Judicial Council bylaws, committee struc-

ture, and leadership continuity. The Judicial

Council adopted its inaugural bylaws in June 2015. Several Judicial Council commit-

tees have recently been modified to standardize committee membership and terms and

to memorialize the mission of each committee.

7. Define research priorities and schedule for FY 2014, FY 2015, and FY 2016. Research priorities were defined and included ongoing trial and accountability court caseload reporting, Office of Dispute Resolution statistics, child support problem-solving court evaluations, and ongoing surveys. The AOC Research Office is also collecting information on pro se litigants and litigants with limited English proficiency.

8. Create an open repository of information for all classes of court. Surveys were distributed to determine how to create a repository. The AOC has developed an intranet log-in portal to provide judicial clients with access to resources and materials. The intranet will soon be made available to the Judicial Council, its committees, and interested court councils.

9. Identify and share innovations and best practices across Georgia's courts. Surveys were distributed to determine what types of information the judiciary routinely requests. The AOC has held educational sessions for judges on various best practices.

7

Judicial Council Actions

As the judicial branch's policy-making body for statewide issues, the Judicial Council considers new judgeships, budgetary and legislative matters, and judicial branch programs and policies.
Chaired by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Judicial Council's membership represents all of Georgia's appellate and trial courts. The Council also oversees the work of the Administrative Office of the Courts, which staffs the Council and its committees.
The Judicial Council met five times during FY 2016 and took the following actions: Hired Ms. Cynthia Clanton as the Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts; Approved a recommendation for an additional judge in the Clayton Judicial Circuit.
On May 5, 2016, the Supreme Court of Georgia adopted an order to expand the Judicial Council to include the President of the State Bar of Georgia as a non-voting member. The new order expands the membership of the Council from 26 to 27 members.
Above: Judges listen to a presentation at the December 2015 Judicial Council meeting. Middle: At the August 2015 meeting, Chief Justice Hugh Thompson swears in new Judicial Council members Judge Benjamin Brinson, Judge Melodie Snell Conner, Judge Richard Slaby, Judge Stephen Dillard, and Judge Gary Jackson.
Bottom: At the February 2016 meeting, Judge John B. Sumner reports on the work of the Council of Juvenile Court Judges.
8

The General Assembly met from January 11 until March 24, 2016. Legislation significant to the judicial branch included garnishment reform, two additional justices for the Supreme Court, and appellate jurisdiction reform.
Four Judicial Council bills passed during the 2016 session, H.B. 691, S.B. 64, S.B. 255, and S.B. 262.

H.B. 691 amends O.C.G.A. 36-32-1 to provide removal for cause provisions

for municipal court judges and procedures for removal proceedings.



S.B. 64 repeals O.C.G.A. 19-7-21.1, the Code Section that provides for administrative legitimation.

S.B. 255 amends Chapter 4 of Title 18 of the O.C.G.A. to restructure the garnishment statutes and provide for garnishment reform.

S.B. 262 changes the degree of consanguinity between judges and parties who appear before them from six degrees to three. The bill absorbed HB 1027, which provides that by court rule or standing order any superior court or state court may accept electronic filings and may accept payments and remittances by electronic means. In addition, it clarifies provisions related to the filing of documents by electronic means in magistrate court.

Additionally, two new justices for the Supreme Court of Georgia and one superior court judgeship in the Clayton Judicial Circuit were authorized.

FY2016 In Review

9

Cynthia Clanton, JC/AOC Director, Justice Harold Melton, and Ashley Garner, JC/AOC Chief Budget Officer, present the Judicial Council Budget on February 22, 2016.
During the 2016 Legislative session, $126,643,493 was appropriated to the Judicial Branch for FY 2017. Funding was received for the Cold Case Program, the Georgia Council of Court Administrators, civil legal services for victims of domestic violence, and for the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education to support operations and technology infrastructure, and licensing for services provided to multiple classes of court. Adjustments were funded for merit-based pay adjustments and employee recruitment and retention initiatives, merit assessments, increases to the Employees' Retirement System contribution rate to provide a one-time benefit adjustment of 3% to retired state employees. Adjustments were also received to reduce funds for DOAS administered self-insurance programs, TeamWorks billing, and employer contributions for the Judicial Retirement System.
The Amended FY 2016 budget included a reduction in funds for personnel to meet projected expenditures and an increase in funds for the employer share of the Employees' Retirement System for the Council of State Court Judges as well as for TeamWorks to comply with the new IRS reporting requirements on insurers and employers required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).

Budget

Five Year Budget Comparison FY 2013 - FY 2017

FY 2013

FY 2014

FY 2015

FY 2016

FY 2017

Supreme Court

$9,093,297

$9,392,560 $10,248,025 $10,312,655 $12,002,660

Court of Appeals

$14,106,000 $14,441,605 $15,035,519 $17,314,958 $20,388,803

Superior Courts

$61,105,042 $62,255,828 $64,909,147 $65,136,540 $71,957,668

Juvenile Courts

$6,774,461

$6,787,786 $7,029,264

$7,606,988

$7,542,544

Judicial Council

$12,423,861 $12,322,112 $13,461,113 $15,411,761 $14,751,818



Judicial Branch/Courts

Total

$103,502,661 $105,199,891 $110,683,068 $115,782,902 $126,643,493

State Funds

$19,342,059,819 $19,920,261,481 $20,836,744,620 $21,828,789,407 $23,739,270,238

% of State Funds

0.54%

0.53%

0.53%

0.53%

0.53%

% of State Funds Change

-0.02%

-0.01%

0.00%

0.00%

0.00%

10

Amended FY 2016 Budget

Amended FY 2016 Enhancement Request Institute of Continuing Judicial Education

Amount Requested
$13,000

Amount Funded
$0

Adjustments

Council of Accountability Court Judges

Change program name

Yes

Council of Accountability Court Judges

Change program purpose

Yes

Administrative Office of the Courts

Change program purpose

Yes

Council of State Court Judges ERS

$44,687

$44,687

Council of State Court Judges JRS

$54,617

$54,617

Reduce funds for personnel



$(113,642)

TeamWorks billing



$1,049

FY 2017 Budget

FY 2017 Enhancement Request Civil Legal Services for Victims of Domestic Violence Cold Case Project Council of Municipal Court Judges Council of Probate Court Judges Georgia Council of Court Administrators Council of Municipal Court Judges Institute of Continuing Judicial Education Parental Accountability Court Coordinators

Amount Requested Amount Funded

$193,125 $75,000 $21,795 $40,000
$7,500 $21,795 $123,718 $247,267

$193,125 $75,000
$0 $0 $7,500 $0 $24,000 Funded. DHS budget

Adjustments

Administrative Office of the Courts

Change program purpose

Yes

Council of Accountability Court Judges

Change program name

Yes

Council of Accountability Court Judges

Change program purpose

Yes

Council of Accountability Court Judges

Transfer from CJCC

$156,631

Department of Administrative Services

Self insurance premiums $(27,510)

E-Filing Portal

One-time reduction

$(96,000)

Employees Retirement System

3% one-time benefit

$4,469

Judicial Retirement System

Change in progam rate $(199,470)

Merit based pay adjustment



$185,310

Merit system assessment

Change in progam rate

$1,932

TeamWorks billing



$(582)

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Director's Office

The Judicial Council/AOC provides subject-matter
expertise on policy, court innovation, legislation, and
court administration to all classes of courts. The
agency also furnishes a full range of information
technology, budget, and financial services to the
judicial branch.
Director Clanton represents the interests of the Judicial Council and courts on several state bodies including the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education (ICJE) as a Trustee and the Board of Court Reporting as Secretary. She is an appointee to the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and several of their committees. Cynthia continues to maintain her strong ties with the State Bar of Georgia by serving as advisor to the Bench and Bar Committee and member of the Consumer Assistance Committee.
Office of General Counsel The Office of General Counsel drafted a record 218 contracts, including contracts for the
Tax Refund Intercept Program (TRIP) and the Civil Legal Services Grant, which appropriates $2.2 million in grant funds for nonprofits providing civil legal services to domestic violence victims. Over 7,000 domestic violence victims throughout Georgia received services under this grant. The Office of General Counsel conducted legal research pertaining to state bond funding for the creation of a statewide judicial data exchange program. In addition, the Office of General Counsel investigated disciplinary complaints against licensed court professionals.
Office of Governmental and Trial Court Liaison In FY 2016, the Governmental and Trial Court Liaison (GTCL) team focused on provid-
ing the highest level of service to the trial court councils, collaborating and coordinating with judicial branch stakeholders, and supporting the Judicial Council in its strategic goals and mission.
In its liaison function, staff provided policy and technical support and/or administrative services to the following groups: the Council of Municipal Court Judges (CMuCJ) and the Municipal Courts Training Council; the Magistrate Courts Training Council; the Council of Magistrate Court Clerks; and the Council of Municipal Court Clerks. Staff provided support at Council training conferences, leadership meetings and numerous committee meetings over the course of the year. Additionally, as staff to the Magistrate and Municipal Courts Training Councils, GTCL staff worked closely with the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education and continued annual certification processes. This included the transition to the Georgia Courts Registrar for maintenance of continuing education records and certification. Staff also provided legal research services and policy analysis to trial court councils as requested.
Notable activities from FY 2016 included the support of the CMuCJ's District Lunch and Learn series and facilitating the collaboration between the CMuCJ and AOC Office of Communications on the development of a Crisis Media Guidelines Benchcard. GTCL staff also managed the development of a Misdemeanor Probation Bench Card, in partnership with Judge Michael Boggs and the Criminal Justice Policy Program at Harvard Law School.
In its legislative function, the GTCL team supported requests for the Judicial Council Policy and Legislative Committee to consider legislation for all classes of court and make recommendations to the Judicial Council. Legislative services included governmental affairs
12

Financial Administration

liaison, legislative tracking, daily and weekly legislative reports, and coordination with Council leadership and staff in pursuit of legislative goals. Staff worked closely with the appellate courts on S.B. 262, relating to consanguinity between judges and parties to a case, and the CMuCJ on H.B. 691, providing removal for cause provisions for municipal court judges.

The Financial Administration Division processed all financial transactions for 17 judicial agencies during FY 2016.

A total of 102 programs were maintained over FY 2016, including 34 state, 10 federal, and 58 other funded programs.
All programs are continuously monitored for budgetary compliance and available for the annual independent inspection and audit.
During the 2016 tax season, nine pilot courts participated in the Tax Refund Intercept Program pilot. The courts submitted electronic intercept requests to the clearinghouse. Two hundred and five intercepts were made. Intercept requests averaged $630 and successful intercepts averaged $200. Nearly $40,000 was collected by the Department of Revenue from court debtors during the 2016 tax season.

JC/AOC staff traveled across the state in preparation of TRIP's launch in 2016. Above, Mike Cuccaro, left, and Randy Dennis, right, meet with staff from the Municipal Court of Marietta.

Staff of the JC/AOC. 13

Communications, Children, Families & the Courts

The Communications, Children, Families and the Courts Division is new as of FY 2016. The Division now serves as the hub for all communications and provides staff to numerous Committees and Commissions.

This division provides staff for the Supreme Court of Georgia Committee on Justice for Children, chaired by Presiding Justice P. Harris Hines; the Georgia Commission on Child Support, chaired by Judge R. Michael Key; and the Access, Fairness, Public Trust and Confidence Committee of the Judicial Council, co-chaired by Justice Robert Benham and Justice Carol Hunstein, as well as any grant funded work related to children and families. Researching grants for all courts is also a service provided within this division and one new grant -- a State Justice Institute grant -- was sought and received in 2016.
In addition, this Division also serves as liaison to the Georgia Commission on Family Violence (GCFV), chaired by Holly Tuchman, and the Council of Accountability Court Judges (CACJ), with Judge Jason Deal as its current President.

Committee on Justice for Children (J4C)

Since 1995, the Supreme Court of Georgia has received the Court Improvement grant

to focus on improving the process of civil child abuse and neglect cases. The Commit-

tee on Justice for Children was created by Supreme Court order and is currently chaired

by Presiding Justice P. Harris Hines. The

Committee's mandate is to guide the ad-

ministration of three federal grants totaling

close to $800,000 per year. Mostly recent-

ly, the Cold Case Project (a project utilizing

statistical predictive modeling to designate

foster children's cases which appear to be

heading for a negative outcome, and having

those cases reviewed and monitored by

attorney specialists) has become institution-

alized with state appropriations. This was

Presiding Justice P. Harris Hines, left, Supreme Court of achieved by being able to show five years'

Georgia, Chairs the Committee on Justice for Children; worth of positive project data on both child

Judge Michael Boggs, Court of Appeals, and Rep.Wendell outcomes and costs. Other work under the W DeibllarradNaetsabiJt4,CACmCeeGti,nagn,dtoTpe;eBBoabrbnyesC, aCglleer,kD, SFuCpSreDmireector,J4C for FY 2016 includes the Court Pro-

Court of Georgia, below.

cess Reporting System (real time child spe-

cific data exchanged between the juvenile

courts and the Division of Family and Children Services); Juvenile Court Improvement

Team bi-annual meetings; Peer Review Observations and trainings; sponsorship of Georgia

attorneys and judges to become Child Welfare Law Specialists (51 to date) and sponsoring

or partnering to provide multiple legal educational opportunities. Committee informa-

tion and annual reports, including the annual report specific to the Cold Case Project, are

available online at j4c.georgiacourts.gov.

14

February 2016
African American History Month

Communications

1

2

3

4

5

6

Improving communications for internal and

Georgia's Judges

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 external judicial branch audiences was and is a

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 priority under the Judicial Council Strategic Plan.

The work within Communications serves to

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 (1) improve justice by providing information of the

28

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actions and work of the Judicial Council of Geor-

gia; (2) raise awareness of the daily work of judges

March 2016

1 1 2 3 4 5 and court administration stakeholders with the JC/

Women's American History Month

AOC; and (3) equip and engage Judicial Coun-

Georgia's Judges

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

cil members and JC/AOC employees as effective

13

14

15

16

17

18 19 communicators.

In FY 2016, a communication plan was ap-

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21

22

23

24

25

26

proved by the Strategic Planning Committee and

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30

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implementation was underway. Periodic tasks

within Communications include writing and pub-

In February 2016, the Judicial Council/AOC celebrated lishing the JC/AOC Annual Report; the quarterly the pioneering African American judges of Georgia and Georgia Courts Journal; updating and publishing

in March 2016, pioneering Women judges were celebrated.

the Georgia Courts Directory (which is being automated); assisting with drafting and distribution

of press releases; updating Judicial Council materials, providing substantive content for Face-

book/Twitter and georgiacourts.gov; taking photos; and drafting daily messages for events and

communications.

Special projects include sponsoring a Day on the Bench in the Augusta Judicial Circuit,

creating an explainer video about the Judicial Council of Georgia, and profiling and lives-

treaming multiple events where judges of the Judicial Council and the committees of this di-

vision participate in a variety of panels, speeches, and projects to improve justice. See: https://

livestream.com/accounts/15641258 for a sampling of this work.

JC/AOC ON SOCIAL MEDIA
The Judicial Council/AOC Facebook and Twitter accounts were created in August 2011. These accounts are used as a conduit to reach out to judges, news outlets, and the general public regarding the work of the courts and the Judicial Council/AOC. Over five years, both accounts have risen in readership and usage, especially during the past two years.

Facebook Likes @GACourts June 2014 thru June 2016

1000

800

600

400 200

345 June 2014

468 June 2015

916 June 2016

Twitter Followers @GACourts June 2014 thru June 2016
2000
1742
1500

1000 500

628 June 2014

1101 June 2015

June 2016

15

Communications, Children, Families & the Courts

Child Support Commission

The Child Support Commission sponsored its first ever statewide Child Support Con-

ference in November 2015. Commission staff worked with a vendor to finalize and pub-

licly release a new online child support calculator. The Commission appointed a subcom-

mittee on Gender Neutrality to address some of the issues that arose due to the Obergefell

decision, such as how best to identify the parties on the child support

worksheets that are presently designated simply as "mother" and

"father." The Commission sucessfully sought legislation repealing

administrative legitimation. Staff works collaboratively with DHS on

the Parental Accountability Courts, training court coordinators on

use of the database that will provide statistical evidence of the effica-

cy of those courts. Staff also provides training throughout the state

on child support, income deduction, and other related subjects, and

responds daily to questions from judges, attorneys and the public.

The Commission's work recently has focused on training for the

online child support calculator along with user manuals, and prepar-

ing for the November 2016 Child Support Conference in Columbus,

Child Support Collaborative Project Director Patricia Buono-

Georgia. See: csc.georgiacourts.gov.

dono teaches a session on Devia-

tions and Split & Shared Parenting

at the November Child Support

Conference.

Access, Fairness, and Public Trust and Confidence

Committee (AFPTCC)

With staff changes in FY 2016, contract attorney

Karlise Grier was engaged to staff the work of this

Committee. During FY 2016 and under a revised

Supreme Court order, the Committee has held three

meetings, is near completion of a Americans with Dis-

abilities (ADA) Handbook for the Georgia courts, sub-

mitted a proposal to the State Justice Institute which

was granted to host a Human Trafficking and the

Courts summit and has started collaboration between

the Council of Municipal Court Judges, the Institute

of Continuing Judicial Education, and AFPTCC on a

series of classes and articles entitled "Georgia Reflec-

tions on Ferguson The Role of the Courts." Judge

LaTisha Dear-Jackson and Judge Leslie Spornberger

Jones have provided leadership for the project. A sum-

mit on this topic has been scheduled for December 15,

2016.

Top photo: Justice Robert Benham and Justice Carol

See: afptc.georgiacourts.gov.

W. Hunstein co-chair the Access, Fairness and Public Trust and Confidence Committee. Bottom photo:

Judge Cassandra Kirk, Chief Magistrate, Fulton Coun-

ty, and Coy Johnson, Jr., review "A Meaningful Oppor-

tunity to Participate: A Handbook for Georgia Court

Officials on Courtroom Accessiblity for Individuals

with Disabilities" at a meeting in May 2016.

16

Family Violence Grants
In addition to serving as liaison to the GCFV, the staff in this division manages grants related to family violence including those provided by the Federal Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) and Criminal Justice Coordinating Council Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The OVW grant supports the DeKalb County Domestic Violence Court by supporting the costs of its coordinator and two legal advocates. The CJCC grant supports domestic violence courts throughout the state with training and follow up visits.
This division has taken over the administration of the state funded civil legal services grants for victims of domestic violence, sharing tasks with the Director's Division.

Civil Legal Services to Victims of Family Violence Grant Awards for FY 2016

Atlanta Legal Aid Society

$642,921

Cherokee Family Violence Center, Inc. $5,700

GA Law Center for the Homeless $25,000

Gateway House

$6,120

GA Legal Services Program

$1,499,496

Northwest GA Family Crisis Ctr, Inc. $33,000

Support in Abusive Family

Emergencies

$35,000

Wayne County Protective Agency $13,500

TOTAL FUNDS AWARDED

$2,260,737

Nearly 7,000 low-income Georgia victims were served by a variety of legal services, such as obtaining protective orders from the courts, to help protect their safety using these grants.

17

Information Technology

The Judicial Council/AOC Information Technology (IT) Division made transitions and upgrades during FY 2016 to improve the quality and stability of services provided to Georgia's judicial stakeholders.

In support of the strategic planning efforts underway for the Judicial Council, the IT Division has invested energy to ensure that services and products provided align with the Strategic Plan. This report reviews the previous plan for 2014 2016, and sets a course for 2017 and beyond.

Judicial Council Standing Committee on Technology

Created September 3, 2015, by the Supreme Court of Georgia.

Per the order, the Committee shall provide guidance and oversight of the Judicial

Council's technology initiatives.

Membership is comprised of

twenty participants and chaired

by Justice Harold D. Melton;

Judge David T. Emerson serves

as Vice Chair. The membership

represents judges, clerks, JC/

AOC, members of the bar, and

court administrators, with desig-

nees from the Governor's Of-

Jorge Basto, JC/AOC IT Division Director; Judge David Emerson, and fice, Attorney General's Office,

Justice Harold Melton at a meeting in May 2016.

Senate and House of Represen-

tatives.

Meetings began in January 2016 and are scheduled for every 60 days.

Topics covered included a statewide customer portal, data exchange projects, and single

sign on capabilities.

Microsoft Office 365 Email Migration JC/AOC email services were migrated to a cloud environment. Employees may access their email, calendars, and contacts, as well as office productivity applications from any device.

Network Infrastructure upgrade at both the primary and secondary datacenters. Increased capacity and infrastructure to support bandwidth intensive applications. Increased storage capacity. Replaced aging legacy servers to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and improve service levels.

1186

Georgia Judicial Exchange (GAJE)
12 new counties began accepting child support cases electronically into their Superior Court case management system.
130 Counties in total were participating in the program as of June 30, 2016. 45 Child Support Offices electronically filed cases into Superior Courts. 34,965 child support filings were electronically transmitted.
For additional information, visit the project website at: GAJE.georgiacourts.gov

DADE

CATOOSA

FANNIN

UNION

TOWNS

RABUN

WALKER

WHITFIELD MURRAY

GILMER

CHATTOOGA

GORDON

PICKENS

FLOYD

BARTOW

CHEROKEE

WHITE LUMPKIN

HABERSHAM
STEPHENS

DAWSON FORSYTH

HALL

FRANKLIN BANKS

HART

JACKSON

MADISON

ELBERT

Participating courts prior to FY2016 Courts added during FY2016 Courts pending since 6/30/16 Non participating courts

POLK HARALSON PAULDING

COBB

FULTON

GWINNETT

BARROW

CLARKE OGLETHORPE

WALTON OCONEE

WILKES

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DOUGLAS

DEKALB

CLAYTON ROCKDALE

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TREUTLEN

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SCHLEY

STEWART

WEBSTER

SUMTER

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TERRELL

LEE

RANDOLPH

CLAY

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DOUGHERTY

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BAKER

MILLER

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DECATUR

GRADY

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TURNER

BEN HILL

JEFF DAVIS

TOOMBS

EVANS

TATTNALL

BRYAN CHATHAM

APPLING

LIBERTY LONG

WORTH

IRWIN TIFT

COFFEE

BERRIEN ATKINSON

COLQUITT

COOK

LANIER

THOMAS

BROOKS

LOWNDES

CLINCH

BACON

WAYNE

McINTOSH

PIERCE BRANTLEY
WARE

GLYNN

CHARLTON

CAMDEN

ECHOLS

Probate Court Information System (PCIS) v2 Now a web application requiring internet connectivity and little to no overhead. Available at no cost to any probate court. Version 2 provides court clients with a fully-hosted system in a secure infrastructure. Added and enhanced features and functionality to handle all manner of responsibilities of the probate courts: Estate proceedings, guardianships, Marriage, firearms, other licenses, and certificates, Court calendars, electronic document importing and scanning, Enhanced printing of all required reports and certificates, Electronic reminders and notifications, Electronically transmits marriage data via GAVERS to the Department of Public Health, Vital Records Division, Integration with PASP, the state's firearms license card provider, Accurately accounts for fee collections and receipting, Automatically calculates proper disbursements to the appropriate parties.
19

Juvenile Data Exchange (JDEX)

The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), in cooperation with the Council of

Juvenile Court Judges, has sponsored a project to combine disparate sets of juvenile data

into a consolidated data repository.

The Judicial Council/AOC is the data repository selected for this project and provides

subject matter expertise on data collection and management. The Judicial Council/AOC

provides services for reports and interactive dashboards to the constituents and stake-

holders under their direction.

Phase I, which ran from June 2015 until February

2016, included capturing demographic data on youth

from DJJ supported courts as well as independent

courts around Georgia. The goal of two years of data

has been met and currently includes demographic

and risk assessments for nearly 50,000 juveniles from

around the state.

Juvenile data is protected through user-based security

access, as well as industry best practices of two step

verification.

Attorney Jerry Bruce explains JDEX to

Individual identifiers have been removed, where feasi- the Judicial Council on August 6, 2015.

ble, to allow for data driven decision making by justice

partners and stakeholders.

Phase II is underway and includes piloting reports to juvenile courts, expanding data

collection to offense and legal actions, and placement histories for juveniles.

For additional information, visit the project website at jdex.georgiacourts.gov/

Information Technology

2106

The AOC's Judicial Services Division provides valuable services to Georgia's judicial branch. Through its two offices, Research and Data Analysis and Court Professionals, the Division delivers data-driven analysis of the state's trial courts and oversees the policy and regulatory matters of Georgia's court professionals.

Judicial Services

RESEARCH AND DATA ANALYSIS The Office of Research and Data Analysis (Research Office) has served Georgia's judicia-
ry for forty years by examining the work of all the state's trial courts. Data is furnished to the Judicial Council/AOC by Georgia's over 1,000 courts and used to provide insight into Judicial Council policy and budget initiatives, support state and county resource decisions, including recommendations for new judgeships, and to assist judicial, legislative, and executive branches to understand the work of Georgia's courts. More recently, the Research Office has undertaken collecting demographic data on a variety of court professionals, including judges, court reporters, and court interpreters. All these data are presented with the goal of providing a brief snapshot into the people behind Georgia's judicial branch and the work they have accomplished.
Trial Court Caseload* In 2015, Georgia courts received over three million incoming cases. Of that three million,
89% of the filings were generated by the limited jurisdiction courts (state, juvenile, probate, magistrate, and municipal courts). The largest portion of cases filed in 2015 were traffic cases, which comprised 52% of the caseload. The municipal courts provided the largest number of incoming cases at 38% of the total caseload.
Total Filings by Case Type and Jurisdiction, CY 2015

Case Type
Traffic Criminal General Civil Domestic Relations Juvenile Total Incoming Percent of Total

Limited
1,728,664 456,136 677,790 81,256
2,943,846 89%

Jurisdiction

General
172,175 48,242 145,786
366,203
11%

Total
1,728,664 628,311 726,032 145,786 81,256
3,310,049 100%

*Data are accurate as of the date retrieved and may not match previous or future publications due to additional reports and/or corrections to previous reporting. Only courts that self-reported data are included in these figures.This report likely underestimates Georgia's total caseload. Reporting levels vary by class of court.
21

Judicial Services

Total Filings by Case Type

4% 3%

22% 52%
19%

Traffic Criminal
General Civil Domestic Relations Juvenile

Percent of Total Filings within Each Class of Court

2%

18% 38%
21%
11% 10%

Superior State
Magistrate Juvenile Municipal Probate

2126

Cases with Special Characteristics Over CY 2015, Georgia courts saw a rise in cases involving self-represented litigants and
parties with limited English proficiency. In total, the courts heard 882,141 cases involving self-represented litigants and 16,307 cases involving persons with limited English proficiency. In both instances, the municipal courts provided the greatest number of cases for each category.
Percent Share of Cases with Self-Represented Litigants
1%

18% 46%
27%
8%

Superior State
Magistrate Juvenile Municipal

Percent Share of Cases with Limited English Proficient Participants

5% 16%
39%
29% 11%

Superior State
Magistrate Juvenile Municipal

2137

Projects In 2015, the Research Office worked with the Council of Probate Judges to update the
probate court's caseload reporting form. This new form will allow the JC/AOC to capture a comprehensive picture of the probate courts' workload. The new form will be used to report 2016 data.
Accountability Courts The Research Office assisted the Council of Accountability Court Judges with improv-
ing their Accountability Court Program Report for FY 2017. The Office also assisted with training court coordinators to do quarterly program reporting and serves on CACJ's Subcommittee on Metrics and Measurement. As part of this Subcommittee, the Research Office is responsible for proposing data analysis methods that will be implemented and published at the end of the FY 2017 reporting period and beyond.
Demographics Demographic comparisons between Georgia's total population and its judicial popula-
tion are illustrated below.
Race

12%
African American

Georgia Judiciary
32%

White
0

87%

62%

20

40

60

80

100

Judicial Services

Gender

80 67%
60 48%
40

Georgia Judiciary 51%
32%

20

0

24

Male

Female

Judicial Demographics

Supreme Court
7 Justices

Probate Court
159 judges, 11 associate judges

4 judges White Male 2 judges Black Male 1 judge White Female

Court of Appeals
15 Judges

8 judges 4 judges 1 judge 1 judge 1 judge

White Male White Female Black Male Black Female Asian Female

Superior Court
212 judges

151 judges 31 judges 11 judges 9 judges
1 judge 9 judges

White Male White Female Black Female Black Male Asian Male Unknown*

State Court
127 judges

86 judges 24 judges 7 judges 7 judges
1 judge 1 judge 1 judge

White Male White Female Black Male Black Female Asian Male Native American Male Unknown*

74 judges 85 judges 4 judges 5 judges 2 judges

White Male White Female Black Male Black Female Unknown*

Magistrate Court
504 judges

235 judges 158 judges 40 judges 27 judges
2 judges 2 judges 1 judge 1 judge 4 judges 34 judges

White Male White Female Black Female Black Male Asian Female Native American Male Native American Female Two or More Races Male Other Unknown*

Municipal Court, Civil, & Recorders Court
365 judges

258 judges 32 judges 26 judges 18 judges 2 judges
1 judge 1 judge 1 judge 26 judges

White Male White Female Black Male Black Female Asian Male Two or More Races Female Two or More Races Male Native American Male Unknown*

Juvenile Court
132 judges

71 judges 29 judges 8 judges 7 judges
1 judge 16 judges

White Male White Female Black Male Black Female Asian Male Unknown*

Data is self-reported by judges. Information was retrieved on November 14, 2016.

25

*One or more characteristic was unavailable to the JC/AOC to determine a demographic category.

Judicial Services

OFFICE OF COURT PROFESSIONALS The Office of Court Professionals is made up of two teams: the Georgia Courts Regis-
trar team, tasked with the day-to-day processing of court professionals' applications, testing, certification, and continuing education, and the Policy and Regulatory team assigned to staff judicial branch regulatory bodies, including the Supreme Court Commission on Interpreters, the Judicial Council's Board of Court Reporting, and the Georgia Certified Process Server Program.
Commission on Interpreters The Commission on Interpreters is the policy-making and regulatory body appointed
by the Supreme Court of Georgia to oversee court interpreters. Created in 2003 and currently chaired by Justice Keith Blackwell, the Commission is composed of judges, lawyers, non-lawyers, legislators, court administrators, and interpreters. The mission is to regulate a statewide comprehensive court interpreter program; develop criteria for the training and certification of interpreters; designate languages for which certification shall be required; and establish standards of conduct for interpreters so they can ensure the rights of non-English speaking and deaf or hard of hearing persons in court. In accordance with Chief Justice Thompson's State of the Judiciary vision that every court be able to serve all litigants speaking any language, the Commission completed the following during the fiscal year:
Bench cards Created quick-reference bench cards for working with both foreign language interpreters and sign-language interpreters. These cards provide judges with information needed to ensure that court users who are limited English proficient, who are deaf, or who are hard of hearing are treated in accordance with federal and state law. The Commission distributed these cards to judicial, legislative, and executive branch stakeholders at the state and local level.
Forms Translation The Commission assisted Georgia's trial court councils with translating critical court forms into Spanish.
Licensure Licensed 22 more court interpreters to work in Georgia. There are now 159 licensed court interpreters in 11 spoken languages throughout the state.
Education and Training Provided education and training to both the Georgia Council of Court Administrators and the Georgia Municipal Association.
26

Board of Court Reporting The Board of Court Reporting ensures the integrity and competency of court reporters;
establishes and enforces standards that govern court reporters; and provides a forum for an exchange of ideas and educational services. The Board completed the following during the fiscal year: Licensure Trained 29 new court reporters through the Learning Essential About Professionalism Conference. There are now 994 court reporters and 101 court reporting firms certified in Georgia. Digital Monitor Licensed the first member of a new category of court professionals, called digital monitors. They receive training and national certification to record proceedings through courtroom digital recording equipment and to produce official transcripts from the recordings. National certification is achieved by passing tests provided by the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers. Guide to Producing the Official Record Produced with the Judicial Council Court Reporting Matters Committee as a resource for Georgia judges to be used when creating and preserving a true and accurate record of court proceedings. It contains policies formally adopted by the Judicial Council and references and links to statutory and case law regarding court reporting. Process Servers
The Georgia Certified Process Server Program seeks to advance professionalism and establish opportunities for growth within the process server industry. The Judicial Council governs the program, and the AOC administers an examination to persons seeking certification to serve civil process under the program. Since program inception, 514 people have tested.
27

The Georgia Commission on Dispute Resolution is a policy-making body appointed by the Supreme Court of Georgia charged with the following duties:

Commission on Dispute Resolution

administer a statewide comprehensive Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) program;
oversee the development and ensure the quality of all court programs;
approve court programs; develop guidelines for court ADR programs; develop criteria for training and qualifications of
neutrals; and establish and enforce standards of conduct for
neutrals.
The Commission, supported by the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution, has created a statewide plan for ADR in Georgia. This plan enables any superior, state, juvenile, probate, or magistrate court in Georgia to offer litigants alternatives to traditional litigation. Those alternatives mediation, non-binding arbitration, and case evaluation give litigants lower-cost choices for resolving their differences compared to going to trial, and they help conserve scarce court resources for high-conflict cases.
Caseload data collected from 22 of the 44 programs in 2015 shows the overall case settlement rate at 69%. The highest reported clearance rate was in magistrate court cases at 72%. Settlement of these cases through an alternative process such as mediation saves the court valuable financial and human resources.
To conduct an ADR session in a court program,

"Mediation
resolves a significant portion of court
disputes, and the benefit is immeasurable."
-- Judge Charles Auslander

<1% 1% 3%

42% 50%

Superior State
Magistrate Juvenile Municipal Probate

Alternative Dispute Resolution Referred Cases by Class of Court

4%
28

neutrals must be registered in the appropriate category with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution. Categories for registration include general civil mediation, domestic relations mediation, specialized domestic violence, arbitration, early neutral evaluation, juvenile dependency and juvenile delinquency. In 2015, there were 387 neutrals who applied for new registration and 1510 registration renewals.

Year Highlights: The Georgia Supreme Court Commission on Dispute Resolution and the Dispute Resolution Section of the State Bar of Georgia awarded the 2015 Chief Justice Harold G. Clarke Award to Edith B. Primm, Esq., Director of the Justice Center of Atlanta, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field of alternative dispute resolution in Georgia.

The 22nd Annual ADR Institute

and 2015 Neutrals' Conference, held

December 11, 2015, at the State Bar

of Georgia in Atlanta, attracted more

Shinji Morokuma, Program Director, Office of Court Professionals, and Chief Judge Sara Doyle, Court of Appeals,

than 200 attendees, including those with Edith Primm as she accepts the 2015 Chief Justice

who watched live remote broadcasts Harold G. Clarke Award.

of the conference at the State Bar

Offices in Tifton and Savannah. The keynote speaker was Dr. Jerry Gale with his

presentation on "Mindfulness, Mediation, and Dialogue."

In January 2016, the Commission on Dispute Resolution and Georgia Commission on Family Violence began working together on a project to update the mediation guidelines used by local ADR programs to screen domestic relations cases and other civil cases to determine if intimate partner violence/abuse (domestic violence) is a factor between the parties. The safety of victims of domestic violence is a Commission on Dispute Resolution priority and the current guidelines will be reviewed to ensure best practices are used based upon the latest research and practices in the fields of mediation and intimate partner violence/abuse.

29

Magistrate Courts Training Council

The Georgia Magistrate Courts Training Council, which was created by statute in 1983, consists of six members and oversees the training and certification of Magistrate Judges. O.C.G.A. 15-10-130 et seq.
The Council, chaired by Chief Judge Mary Kathryn Moss, Magistrate Court of Chatham County, met six times in FY 2016:
July 9, 2015 via GoTo Meeting September 17, 2015 via GoTo Meeting October 4, 2015 during the biannual recertification training held at
Jekyll Island, GA March 3, 2016 via GoTo Meeting April 24, 2016 during the biannual recertification training held in
Athens, GA June 23, 2016 via GoTo Meeting The Council developed and approved the training curriculum for mandatory annual magistrate training, focusing on such topics as search warrant issuance, mental health treatment resources, landlord/tenant law, criminal case law update, legislative update, garnishment reform, probation and the revised Code of Judicial Conduct. The Council also administered a mentor program for new magistrates. The Council issued certification to magistrate court judges meeting the annual training requirement for CY 2015. The Georgia Magistrate Courts Training Council submits this report pursuant to O.C.G.A. 15-10-134(e).
30

Municipal Courts Training Council

The Georgia Municipal Courts Training Council, created per O.C.G.A. 36-32-22, consists of six members and oversees the training and certification of municipal court judges and chief clerks.
The Council, chaired by Judge Dennis Still, Municipal Court of Lawrenceville, met four times in FY 2016:
October 9, 2015 Athens, GA January 15, 2016 Athens, GA April 17, 2016 St. Simons Island, GA June 21, 2016 St. Simons Island, GA The Council developed and approved the training curriculum for mandatory annual municipal court judges training, focusing on such topics as probation, pre-trial diversion, conditional release, expungement of records, the revised Code of Judicial Conduct, case law update, evidence, and updates from the Department of Driver Services. The Council issued certification to municipal court judges meeting the annual training requirement for CY 2015. Per statutory requirement, the Council also oversaw the training and certification of chief municipal court clerks. The training curriculum for chief clerks focused on such topics as Georgia's Open Records Act, retention schedules, local ordinances/nuisances/abatements, ethics, open courtrooms, Commercial Drivers Licenses, and updates from the Department of Driver Services and the Georgia Crime Information Center. The Council issued certification to chief municipal court clerks meeting the annual training requirement for CY 2015. The Georgia Municipal Courts Training Council submits this report pursuant to O.C.G.A. 36-32-24.
31

July 1, 2015

Judge Sara Doyle becomes Chief Judge
Judge Sara L. Doyle began her two-year term as Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of Georgia. Judge Doyle was elected to the Court of Appeals in 2008.

July 15, 2015

JC/AOC unveils new georgiacourts.gov website
Nearly a year's worth of work, utilizing staff from all JC/ AOC Divisions, went into developing a new website that made its debut on July 15, 2015.

Highlights for FY 2016

32

August 2015
Dougherty County Court Named Peer-to-Peer Site by Council of State Governments

July 28, 2015

Chief Justice Elected to Board of Directors of CCJ
Chief Justice Hugh P. Thompson was elected to the Board of Directors of the Conference of Chief Justices, the national organization that represents the highest judicial officers from every state in the country, as well as from the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.

September 2015 Council of Accountability Court Judges (CACJ) signs Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Judicial Council/AOC

The Council of State Governments Justice Center, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance, selected the Dougherty Superior Court Mental Health and Substance Abuse Division, led by Judge Stephen Goss, above, as one of four peer-to-peer learning sites across the US as part of the National Criminal Justice/Mental Health Collaboration Learning Sites Program.

An MOU for services was signed between the CACJ and the JC/AOC. At left, Judge Jason Deal, CACJ President, hosts a graduation in his court in the Fall of 2015. The CACJ selected Taylor Jones as its Executive Director.

33

Sep 15, 2015

Georgia Council of Court Administrators Installs New Board
2015-2016 GCCA Executive Committee, seated, from left, Jeff West, Treasurer; Tracy Johnson, Vice President; Yolanda Lewis, President-Elect; Brad Butler, Immediate Past President. Back row standing, Matthew Sorenson, Stephen Nevels, Stephanie Hines, Frank Baker, and Lynn Ansley.

Sep 30, 2015
Judge Samuel Ozburn speaks to Judicial Council about courthouse security

Sep 15-16, 2015 DeKalb County Open House Explores Domestic Violence Issues
With support from the Office on Violence Against Women, the Magistrate Court of DeKalb County, Georgia and Center for Court Innovation hosted a two-day open house September 23-24 on domestic violence. Bringing together judges, experts, and court staff from across the country, the open house delved into the urgent questions and challenges facing domestic violence practitioners and courts today.

Judge Samuel Ozburn, Alcovy Judicial Circuit, shared the report of the Superior Court Judges' Security Committee at the September 30 Judicial Council meeting. With the tragedies in Paris, shootings in California and Colorado, the Committee took the initiative to update its Judicial Council Emergency Operations Plan. This plan was last revised in 2005 and Chief Justice Thompson was the task force chair. Ms. Clanton reported that it was time to take a fresh look at it and consult with stakeholders on how best to keep them safe.

34

November 2015
Judge Stephen Dillard on Judges Using Social Media Podcast

Nov 3, 2015

Clanton named AOC Director
On November 3, Chief Justice Hugh Thompson announced that Cynthia H. Clanton was chosen as the new director of Georgia's Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC).

Judge Dillard, Court of Appeals, is one of a small group of judges who have an active presence on social media. In a podcast on the Lawyerist.com during November 2015, Judge Dillard spoke about why he joined Twitter, what he gets out of it, and whether it is a good tool.
Above, Judge Dillard tweets about a Judicial Council meeting in April 2016.

Nov 4-5, 2015

Child Support Conference Held
The Georgia Commission on Child Support held its first-ever child support conference on November 4-5, 2015, at the Atlanta Marriott Stone Mountain Conference Center. This two-day training focused on all issues involving child support: income withholding, how to calculate support, how to collect support, child support for mediators, case law updates, and more. The Conference was also an opportunity for attendees to get a first look at the Online Child Support Calculator, and provide feedback to the trainers and developer. The attendees were excited about the calculator and looking forward to the release of the final product in 2016.
Below, Bartow Juvenile Court Judge Velma Tilley, Administrative Judge Amanda Baxter, Fulton Superior Court Judge Bensonetta Tipton Lane and DeKalb Superior Court Judge Anthony Scott discuss the effect of the Obergefell decision on Georgia's domestic relations cases.

35

Nov 6, 2015

Presiding Justice "Big Voice for Children" Recipient
Presiding Justice P. Harris Hines of the Supreme Court of Georgia was honored with a "Big Voice for Children" Award for his commitment to justice for youth and his leadership of the Supreme Court Committee on Justice for Children.

Dec 11, 2015
22nd Annual ADR Institute and 2015 Neutrals' Conference

Dec 9, 2015

Panel on Successful Communications During a High Profile Case or Crisis
Following the December 9, 2015, Judicial Council meeting, Senior Judge James Bodiford headed a panel discussion on Communications During a High Profile Case or Crisis. Also participating were Mr. Glen Jackson, Jackson Spalding; Jane Hansen, Supreme Court of Georgia PIO, and Ms. Christine Butcher, moderating. The panel was broadcast live via Livestream.

More than 200 attended -- in person or online -- Dr. Jerry Gale's keynote presentation: "Mindfulness, Mediation, and Dialogue."

http://livestream.com/accounts/15641258 36

January 1, 2016
Touch Every Court Project

Dec 17, 2015 Judge Sumner speaks to Justice for Children (J4C)
Judge John B. Sumner, President, Council of Juvenile Court Judges, spoke to the Committee on Justice for Children regarding proposed legislation to increase judicial salaries.

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The Judicial Council/ AOC has made an increased effort to visit the courts around the state. Each "touch" or visit with a court is recorded to capture where JC/ AOC services are being utilized and deployed.

Jan 1, 2016

Three new Judges Join the Court of Appeals
Judge Brian Rickman, Judge Amanda Mercier, and Judge Nels Peterson joined the Court of Appeals on January 1, 2016.

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Jan 14, 2016

Juvenile Court Judge Recognized with Excellence for Children Award
Judge Thomas Britt Hammond, Juvenile Court of Glascock, Lincoln, McDuffie, Taliaferro, Warren, and Wilkes counties, was awarded an "Excellence for Children" Award from Casey Family Programs at their National Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington, on January 14 for his efforts to improve and teach child welfare policy and law in Georgia and nationally.

Feb 19, 2016
Chief Justice Honored by Mercer School of Law

Jan 29, 2016

Towaliga Accountability Court Holds 35th Graduation
Judge Bill Fears, far right, listens to one of five graduates (left) during a ceremony on January 29, 2016.

Chief Justice Hugh P. Thompson received the 2016 Alumni Meritorious Service Award from the Mercer University School of Law on February 19, 2016. The Meritorious Service Award is given to an alumnus or alumna of the Mercer University School of Law who has demonstrated support of the Law School through the contribution of time and gifts.

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Feb 20, 2016
Judge Michael Boggs named to National Task Force on Fines, Fees, and Bail Practices

Feb 2, 2016

Magistrate Court Day at the Capitol
Magistrate judges from throughout the state visited the Capitol on February 2, meeting with legislators and Gov. Nathan Deal.

Judge Michael Boggs, Court of Appeals, was appointed to the National Task Force on Fines, Fees, and Bail Practices which is working to address the ongoing impact that court fines and fees and bail practices have on people and communities -- especially the economically disadvantaged -- across the United States.

Feb 23, 2016

Probate Court Day at the Capitol
Probate judges from throughout the state visited the Capitol on February 23, meeting with legislators and Gov. Nathan Deal.

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March 2016

US Department of State Engages Georgia JC/AOC with Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
Working on the terms of an MOU with Assistant Secretary Brownfield of the U.S. Department of State for JC/AOC work on improving justice not only within Georgia but worldwide.

May 17, 2016
Judge Louisa Abbot Honored for Work on Child Support Commission

Georgia's Drug Courts Model for Thailand
Over four days, more than 150 judges from Thai trial and appellate courts learned how Georgia and other U.S. jurisdictions have effectively used drug courts and sentencing alternatives to improve treatment for drug offenders while reducing both incarceration and recidivism. Tom Rawlings participated in the training on behalf of the AOC.

April 19, 2016

Probate Court Judges Receive Certification from Carl Vinson Institute of Government
At the Council of Probate Court Judges annual meeting, the first 90 graduates of the Georgia Probate Court Judges Certificate Program received their certification for completing the program's 72-hour professional development curriculum.

A gubernatorial commendation was issued for Judge Louisa Abbot, Superior Court, Eastern Judicial Circuit on May 17, 2016, for her service on the Child Support Commission, beginning with the inception of the Commission in 2005.
Judge Abbot served as Chair of the Commission from 2013 2016.

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May 18, 2016
Judge Vincent Crawford visits the White House

May 2016

Jonesboro Mock Trial Teams Wins Seventh State Title
In May 2016, the Jonesboro Mock Trial team, coached by Judge John Carbo, State Court of Clayton County, won its seventh state title since 2002. Read more at bit.ly/claytonmocktrial

Judge Vincent Crawford, Juvenile Court of DeKalb County, participated on a panel demonstrating Georgia's Court Process Reporting System at the White House Foster Care & Technology Hackathon.

May 18, 2016

Day on the Bench in Columbia County
Members of the Augusta Judicial Circuit held the first Law Day celebration in Columbia County that gave Columbia County leaders, legislators and other community leaders a look inside the day-to-day operations of the justice system.

https://livestream.com/accounts/15641258 41

May 26, 2016

DeKalb County State Court Utilizes Interpreter
During a visit by JC/AOC Director Cynthia Clanton to the State Court of DeKalb County, Chief Judge Wayne Purdom handles pleas and bench trials utilizing a foreign language interpreter to ensure that litigants with limited English proficiency fully understand the proceedings.

June 3, 2016
Commission on Family Violence presents Fatality Review Project Report

June 7, 2016

Chief Justice Thompson speaks at first Troup County Mental Health Court Graduation
Troup County held its first Mental Health Court graduation on June 7, 2016. Chief Justice Hugh P. Thompson, at left, spoke and recognized Judge A. Quillian Baldwin, Jr. for his work creating the court.

Jennifer Thomas, Director of the Georgia Commission on Family Violence, presented the the Georgia Fatality Review Project Report to the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. The Report focused on the impact of domestic violence against children.
http://georgiafatalityreview. com/

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June 20, 2016
Tracy Johnson Selected as Executive Director of Georgia Commission on Dispute Resolution

June 17-18, 2016 State Bar Awards
Justice Robert Benham (left), Supreme Court of Georgia, was honored with the 2016 Chief Justice Thomas O. Marshall Professionalism Award, presented June 17 during the Annual Meeting of the State Bar of Georgia.

Northern Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge R. Chris Phelps (right) of Elberton was honored with the 2016 Distinguished Service Award, presented by the State Bar of Georgia during its annual meeting on June 18.

The Georgia Supreme Court Commission on Dispute Resolution named Tracy Johnson as the Executive Director for the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution. Tracy previously served as Director of the Fulton County Superior Court Family Division and is active in the Georgia Council of Court Administrators.

June 22, 2016

Georgia Reflections on Ferguson
Judge Leslie Spornberger Jones taught Georgia Reflections on Ferguson to the Council of Municipal Court Judges.

http://livestream.com/accounts/15641258

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Brian Rickman Amanda Mercier Nels Peterson

Court of Appeals -- Appointed
01/01/16 01/01/16 01/01/16

Glen A. Cheney John Worcester Mary Elizabeth Priest Eric Norris Dustin Hightower

Superior Courts -- Appointed

02/15/16 04/28/16 04/28/16 04/28/16 05/26/16

Atlantic Judicial Circuit Appalachian Judicial Circuit Appalachian Judicial Circuit
Western Judicial Circuit Coweta Judicial Circuit

John B. Adams Shondeana Crews Morris Keisha Storey Ronald Ramsey Sr. Brian Ross William H. Mills Tammi Hayward

State Courts -- Appointed
07/22/15 07/30/15 07/30/15 07/30/15 07/30/15 09/08/15 04/28/16

Charlton DeKalb DeKalb DeKalb DeKalb Early Clayton

Judicial Apointments

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Judicial Council of Georgia Administrative Office of the Courts 244 Washington Street, SW Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30334
www.georgiacourts.gov