Gwinnett County is getting nearly $100,000 in federal COVID relief funds to help clear out a backlog of cases which built up during the first year of the pandemic.
County commissioners recently agreed to accept a $83,333 grant from the Georgia Public Defender Council to offset costs for indigent defense panel attorneys who are handling violent felony cases. The grant is designed to expedite the clearing out a backlog of criminal cases ha piled up during the pandemic.
“The Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget designated $500,000 in (American Rescue Plan Act) fiscal recovery funds to the Georgia Public Defender Council to expedite the statewide backlog of criminal court cases caused by the pandemic for which indigent defense council has been assigned,” Gwinnett Financial Services Director Buffy Alexzulian said.
Courts across Georgia effectively shut down from March 2020 until March 2021, by order of he State Supreme Court’s Chief Justice, because of the pandemic. Jury trials could not be held during that time, although hearings which could be conducted virtually were allowed.
Court systems across the state are still trying to get caught up.
The Gwinnett Indigent Defense Governing Committee requested the funding from the Georgia Public Defender Council last month.
“The circuit has remained operational throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, however the measures implemented to ensure the safety of case participants has greatly reduced the ability to dispose of cases at the pre-COVID…
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