Court reopening in Dunwoody as officials handle backlog

The city is expanding the number of hearings it holds to address a backlog of cases.

Credit: Courtesy/City of Dunwoody

Credit: Courtesy/City of Dunwoody

The city is expanding the number of hearings it holds to address a backlog of cases.

Dunwoody Municipal Court will reopen and begin holding in-person hearings next Tuesday, officials announced.

The city is expanding the number of hearings it holds every week to address a backlog of cases, Dunwoody Court Clerk Norlaundra Huntington said in a statement. Court will now take place three days a week.

Dunwoody City Hall closed in March and shut down the Municipal Court.

“We worked remotely to reschedule cases and notify the parties involved,” Huntington said in a statement.

The court has jurisdiction over violations of state and local laws within the city of Dunwoody. Typically, that includes traffic tickets and other code violations.

Municipal court hearings will happen on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. City clerks will answer emails and phone calls remotely on Mondays and Fridays. Before the pandemic, the city held court hearings one-and-a-half days every week.

The city plans to implement new safety protocols as it resumes court hearings, including social distancing inside the courtroom, making it mandatory to wear masks and temperature checks.

Anyone with questions can email dunwoody.courts@dunwoodyga.gov.

DeKalb County courts have also been largely shut down during the pandemic, suspending most criminal court proceedings and other "non-essential" functions.

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