Judge Hayward details rights, plea options and Zoom procedures during Clayton County arraignments

Judge Tammy Long Hayward opened the Clayton County State Court arraignment calendar for May 12, 2025, and told defendants what to expect when their cases are called: plea options, remote‑hearing procedures and limits on self‑representation.

The judge advised video participants to put their full first and last names on the Zoom roster so staff can identify them and credited them as present. “So if you don't know how to change it, click on the box that [your] name appears on,” Hayward told the remote audience, then walked through the blue‑dots › Rename › enter full name sequence.

The explanation mattered because the arraignment calendar is the first appearance in trial court for many cases and determines whether a defendant pleads guilty, not guilty or “nolo contendere” (no contest). “I expect to hear one of three things, a plea of not guilty, guilty, or no low,” Hayward said. She described what each plea means, the protections the defendant gives up by pleading guilty or nolo, and the state's burden…