Cobb County Georgia Traffic Citations
If you have been given a Cobb County Traffic Citation there are two different routes your cases can go. Your case can begin in one of Cobb County’s municipalities court systems. If your citation was given by the Acworth, Austell, Kennesaw, Marietta, Powder Springs, or Smyrna Police Departments, your case should begin in their municipal court. If your Cobb County citation was given by a Cobb County Police Department officer, then your case will begin in the State Court of Cobb County, assigned to a Judge on either the first or second floor of the courthouse.
The State Court of Cobb County is located at 12 E Park Square, Marietta, GA 30090. There are five judges in the courthouse that handle Cobb County traffic violations from the start. They are Judge Ashley Palmer, courtroom 1A; Judge Jason Fincher, courtroom 2A; Judge Bridgette Campbell, courtroom 2B, Judge Marsha Lake, courtroom 2C; and Judge Henry Thompson, courtroom 2D. Some Cobb County traffic tickets are payable before your first court date. I would only recommend paying your citation in advance if you know that paying the ticket will not result in any points on your drivers license and you know that paying the ticket won’t put the citation on your driving history, which may increase your insurance rates. If you are not certain of both of those things, it is going to be to your benefit to try and resolve your case in court. Some Cobb County citations are “must appear” offenses. Many accident citations, suspended license, no insurance, dui, driving without a license, and other offenses like hit and run and fleeing and eluding that may suspend your license if convicted will likely require at least one court date before resolution.
The Cobb County Traffic Courtrooms usually have two assistant solicitors handling cases in them. Your first court date will be an arraignment court date where you will have the opportunity for you or your attorney to discuss your case with the solicitor. At that court date you will decide if you want to resolve your case before going to trial, or if you would like to take your case to trial. After that arraignment court date your case will be set for a calendar call court date where you will be given one last opportunity to resolve your case before it is set for trial. In the Cobb County State Court you have an option to resolve your traffic violation with either a bench trial (Judge decides) or jury trial (6 Cobb County residents decide). In my experience, Cobb County State Court is a very reasonable place to resolve your case before going to trial if you are a first time offender or do not have many violations on your driving history.
A traffic citations is a criminal misdemeanor violation under Georgia law. That does not mean a conviction will always create a criminal record. But it is a criminal conviction. As in all criminal cases, counsel with an attorney may be in your best interest. If you would like to talk about your ticket and options, feel free to call or text me anytime at 678-753-6431. As always, the consultation is free and I will do my best to give you the necessary advice to help you make a decision on how you want to move forward with your Cobb County citation.
