Gwinnett County court trials and hearings are cancelled Monday and Tuesday. Chief Magistrate Judge George Hutchinson said that the judges from all three courts in Gwinnett – Superior, State and Magistrate – met last week to revise their inclement weather policy in advance of the approaching ice storm. If the county schools close, all trials and hearings will be canceled, as was the case on Monday.
"The underyling logic is if the schools are closed then obviously what's also been created besides hazardous weather and road conditions is childcare problems for anybody that is a potential juror or anybody that is of the age to have children that need care during the day," Hutchinson said.
The only courtrooms that were open Monday were at the jail, where two on-duty magistrate judges were still holding criminal first appearance hearings. Those judges will not leave until a replacement arrives.
By law, first appearance hearings must be held within 48 hours for anyone arrested without a warrant and within 72 hours for anyone arrested with a warrant. All other civil calendars, and temporary protective order calendars for domestic cases, will have to be rescheduled, Hutchinson said.
"The longer this situation persists, the more impact it's going to have and the more cases are going to have to appear on another day," Hutchinson said
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