Judge: Eliminating courts 'disastrous' - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Judge: Eliminating courts 'disastrous'

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By Jim Wallace - bio | email

ALBANY, GA (WALB) –  A Dougherty Superior Court judge says eliminating a judgeship would be a disaster for the Dougherty Judicial Circuit.

A Georgia Senator is proposing eliminating 19 Superior Court judgeships to save money for state budget cutbacks.

Judge Stephen Goss, the former President of the Council of Superior Court Judges of Georgia, says the Dougherty County judges each averaged 2000 new felony cases per year. 

"If we don't have the manpower to handle the cases, and it's going to slow cases down, and fill this jail up at county expense.  They literally, probably would have to add a wing on this jail and staff it if we had less judges here," said Goss.

The proposal would save Georgia $14 million a year. The plan would also eliminate judgeships in Cordele, and judicial circuits in Americus and Valdosta.

 

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