Henry County Superior Court is experiencing growing pains, and they will get worse if they are not addressed.

  Judge Brian Amero, the county’s most senior Superior Court judge, spoke to the Henry County Board of Commissioners at its February 19 regular meeting about the court’s increasing caseload and the need to give attention to its facilities.

  Amero is in his fourth term, having first been elected in 2006. His two fellow judges, Trea Pipkin and Holly Veal, were both appointed in 2018 by Gov. Nathan Deal to fill unexpired terms of retiring judges.

  “They’ve had to hit the ground running,” Amero said of his colleagues, explaining that the three of them are doing the work of four Superior Court judges, according to an assessment by the state’s Judicial Council.

  “This, of course, is not sustainable long-term,” Amero added.

  The judge asked the commissioners for support in moving forward with a request for a fourth judge. A formal request will be made in March, and Amero hopes the county’s legislative delegation will support it. “We believe we’ve needed it for a long time,” he said.

  But he quickly pointed out that adding a judge does not mean adding just one person to the judicial staff. There will likely be 8-10 people needed, some of whom will be paid by the state but others who will be county-paid. An average day on the criminal calendar involves multiple prosecutors and public defenders, each of whom are supported by administrative staff and investigators.

  “Adding a fourth judge is a very big undertaking,” said Amero. “When we add all of these new people, we also need space for them. There is a huge influx of resources that is needed.”

  Even without a fourth judge, space at the courthouse continues to be an issue. Henry County Superior Court conducts its business in the original courthouse on the McDonough Square, which has been in continuous operation since its construction was completed in 1897, although an addition was built about a decade ago.

  Meeting the court’s needs adequately could require another courthouse addition, a new building, or both, Amero said. County officials have already been meeting privately with the judges to take a serious look at these issues and Amero thanked them publicly for that.

  During the board’s comments, Commissioner Dee Clemmons mentioned the increasing difficulty regarding security, and Amero echoed that with recent examples.

  There have been some instances lately that tested the ability of the Henry County Sheriff’s Office to keep people in the courthouse and surrounding areas safe, the judge said, because of the increasing number of violent and dangerous defendants on the grounds at any given time.

  “Just today, I had three people on my criminal calendar who were either charged with or convicted of murder,” he stated. “Ten years ago that was very unusual. Now, unfortunately, it is a bit more common.”   Superior Court is where all felony cases in Henry County are handled – that is, any case punishable by more than one year in state prison. It also has exclusive jurisdiction over cases involving divorce and custody or land and equity. A wide variety of business cases and money damage claims are also heard in Superior Court.