On March 14, the Georgia Supreme Court declared a statewide “judicial emergency.”
The order, from Chief Justice Harold Melton, called on courts across Georgia to “suspend all but essential court functions” during the coronavirus pandemic.
Other local jurisdictions put similar measures in place — Fulton County’s court has stopped hearing all “non-essential cases,” including evictions.
Still, despite these measures, the need for legal services remains. According to records obtained by WABE from the Fulton County Magistrate Court’s website, landlords have filed more than 1,000 eviction cases in the month since the order went into place on March 13.
In addition, other nonprofits and legal aid organizations have confirmed a rise in domestic violence cases since the pandemic began.
