Judges still unhappy as Augusta-area court split advances
January 20, 2021 GMT
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) Judges are still unhappy about a plan to split a Georgia judicial circuit to give a suburban county its own court system and district attorney.
Columbia County officials, backed by their Republican lawmakers, want their county to have a separate three-judge circuit, leaving what has been the three-county Augusta circuit which includes Richmond and Burke counties.
Columbia County says the move would save money, but some have objected to a split which began moving forward weeks after voters elected the circuit’s first-ever Black district attorney.
Augusta commissioners, resigned that the Republican-dominated General Assembly would create a new circuit for Columbia, voted to support the move, under the condition that the remaining two-county Augusta circuit would have five judges.
Augusta could get a lot of discussion in the Georgia General Assembly when it convenes, with a bill splitting the judicial circuit reported to be imminent and a discussion of changing the Consolidation Act – and commissioner pay raises – on the horizon.
Also forthcoming is redistricting Augusta Commission and school board, state House and Senate and congressional seats based on the 2020 census, officials said at a joint meeting Thursday of the commission and members of the Augusta legislative delegation.
But when the discussions happen depends on whether the session is delayed because of COVID-19, said Rep. Wayne Howard, D-Augusta, the delegation chairman.
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