U.S. Magistrate Judge Catherin Salinas awarding a certificate to Aaliyah Parks, the first graduate of the Northern District of Georgia’s Accountability Court. Courtesy photo
“We don’t often have a federal judge speak on behalf of a defendant,” U.S. District Court Judge Steven Grimberg remarked as U.S. Magistrate Judge Catherine Salinas took the stand to testify at a sentencing hearing on Tuesday in a case that was the first of its kind in the Northern District of Georgia.
The hearing was a pivotal moment, signaling the graduation of the inaugural participant in the Court’s pre-trial accountability court. Salinas and Grimberg are both proponents of the effort, which Salinas said had a variety of benefits for both the court and state, saving taxpayer dollars and easing the burden on overincarceration in Georgia’s prisons.
Judge Steven Grimberg, United States Court for the Northern District of Georgia. (Courtesy photo)
