His days as the head honcho of the Douglas Judicial Circuit are numbered, but that hasn’t stopped Chief Judge David Emerson from suggesting ways the circuit could utilize a portion of $110 million in funds allocated late last week by Gov. Brian Kemp to help tackle the state’s judicial backlog.

Before Emerson steps down from the Douglas County Superior Court bench on Dec. 31, he said he’d like to see courthouse changes made to address the circuit’s own backlog of about 1,500 felony cases, noting social-distancing requirements have further complicated expeditious trial efforts.

‘A Major Challenge’

Douglas County Superior Court Chief Judge David T. Emerson. Courtesy photo Douglas County Superior Court Chief Judge David Emerson. (Courtesy photo)