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Municipal courts report surge in filings, outline e-filing and reminder plans to reduce FTAs
Summary
Chief Judge Christopher Ward and the court administrator told the committee municipal court caseloads rose to 144,870 in 2025 with January traffic filings up to 11,613; the court plans e-filing implementation and text reminders to reduce failures to appear.
Chief Judge Christopher Ward and the court administrator presented the municipal court’s quarterly statistics on Feb. 9, reporting a year-to-year increase in filings and steps to modernize court access.
Ward and Court Administrator Mister Moore said the court handled 144,870 cases in 2025 and that January filings for traffic cases rose from 8,020 (Jan 2025) to 11,613 (Jan 2026). The administrators said judges are returning to pre-pandemic dockets and now hear high-frequency dockets; "each judge is now hearing 200 cases per day," Moore said.
To reduce failures to appear (FTAs) the court is piloting two changes: e-filing to avoid in-person filings and text reminders in partnership with the Georgia Justice Project. Moore said the court has begun procurement steps for e-filing and that text reminders are expected to drive down FTAs.
Council member Wayne Martin asked whether the uptick in housing cases reflected evictions or code enforcement filings; Moore said housing filings appear driven by code enforcement agents filing cases and that court staff will convene internal review meetings to bring back specifics.
Court leaders also discussed operational adjustments for FIFA and noted e-bonding statistics: since launching e-bonding, 1,142 e-bonds occurred in Q2, and the remote bonding program continues to increase percentage use compared to cash bonds. The court said it is evaluating whether to modify operations during FIFA and will report back with details.
Next steps: the court will return with detailed breakdowns on housing case types and provide updates on the e-filing procurement timeline and outcomes from the FTA reduction measures.
