Solicitor Don Moore says his caseload -- about three-thousand misdemeanor cases last year -- is enough to justify that the court operate full time, rather than part time as it does now.
But Jackson County Commissioner Emil Beshara has called for a review that may do away with the court.
Beshara says he has heard complaints from residents and law enforcement authorities about a backlog and what he calls a lack of -- quote -- ``enthusiasm with which cases are pursued.'' He has proposed that the county hire a consultant to evaluate the State Court's performance.
Jackson is in the Piedmont Judicial Circuit, which includes Banks and Barrow counties. Beshara notes that Jackson is the only county in the circuit that spends money on a State Court. He says the Superior Court circuit is funded by all three counties and that Jackson County could let that court handle cases now heard in State Court.
The state leaves up to individual counties whether they want to have a State Court. Seventy-one of Georgia's 159 counties -- including Gwinnett, DeKalb, Bibb and Fulton -- have State Courts.
Moore plans to ask commissioners to fund the court on a full-time basis. State Court Judge Jerry Gray declined comment.
Moore says that neighboring Hall County -- which has a larger population but similar demographics -- has two State Court judges, a State Court solicitor and five assistant solicitors.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2006/5/109885