Difference between revisions of "Fulton Judiciary Weaponizes Project ORCA"
Fulton Judiciary Weaponizes Project ORCA (view source)
Revision as of 11:25, 12 December 2023
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[[File:ORCA Pod.jpeg|right|300px|Orca Pod]] | [[File:ORCA Pod.jpeg|right|300px|Orca Pod]] | ||
===Fulton Leaders 'Brainstormed'=== | ===Fulton Leaders 'Brainstormed'=== | ||
Just over five months later, when Fulton’s courts finally reopened, county leaders embarked on a plan to address the backlog—which, after being inventoried, totaled 148,209 open and active cases. Fulton, the state’s largest and most populous county with Georgia’s largest court case backlog, chose a name just as big for the strategy: Project Orca.<ref>[https://www.law.com/dailyreportonline/2023/08/28/how-fulton-countys-project-orca-devoured-108661-court-cases-and-counting/ | Just over five months later, when Fulton’s courts finally reopened, county leaders embarked on a plan to address the backlog—which, after being inventoried, totaled 148,209 open and active cases. Fulton, the state’s largest and most populous county with Georgia’s largest court case backlog, chose a name just as big for the strategy: Project Orca.<ref>[https://www.law.com/dailyreportonline/2023/08/28/how-fulton-countys-project-orca-devoured-108661-court-cases-and-counting/ ''How Fulton County’s Project Orca Devoured 108,661 Court Cases and Counting'', by Everett Catts (August 28, 2023)].</ref> | ||
The funds allocated were just as large: the county used $75 million of the $200 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act monies it received in 2021 for pandemic-related programs to eliminate the case backlog. They must be spent by Dec. 31, 2024.<ref>[https://www.law.com/dailyreportonline/2023/08/28/how-fulton-countys-project-orca-devoured-108661-court-cases-and-counting/ ''How Fulton County’s Project Orca Devoured 108,661 Court Cases and Counting'', by Everett Catts (August 28, 2023)].</ref> | |||
</blockquote> | </blockquote> | ||
According to an article written by Everett Catts of the Daily Report<ref>[https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/images/2/29/Fulton_Countys_Project_Orca_Devours_108%2C661_Court_Cases_and_Counting_Daily_Report.pdf ''How Fulton County’s Project Orca Devoured 108,661 Court Cases and Counting'', by Everett Catts (August 28, 2023)]</ref>: | According to an article written by Everett Catts of the Daily Report<ref>[https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/images/2/29/Fulton_Countys_Project_Orca_Devours_108%2C661_Court_Cases_and_Counting_Daily_Report.pdf ''How Fulton County’s Project Orca Devoured 108,661 Court Cases and Counting'', by Everett Catts (August 28, 2023)]</ref>: | ||
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For Fulton, 'orca' has been synonymous with 'solution.' As of July 31, about a year and a half after launching Project Orca, the county had disposed of 108,661 cases, becoming a model for justice systems across the state and nation. In July, Fulton won one of the [https://www.naco.org/resources/award-programs/project-orca-covid-19-case-resolution National Association of Counties’ Achievement Awards] for its innovative methods of whittling down the backlog. In May it won an [https://www.georgiatrend.com/2023/05/25/innovate-connect-improve/ Association County Commissioners of Georgia County of Excellence Award] for the same reason.<ref>[https://www.law.com/dailyreportonline/2023/08/28/how-fulton-countys-project-orca-devoured-108661-court-cases-and-counting/?slreturn=20230908091818 ''How Fulton County’s Project Orca Devoured 108,661 Court Cases and Counting'', by Everett Catts (August 28, 2023)]</ref> | For Fulton, 'orca' has been synonymous with 'solution.' As of July 31, about a year and a half after launching Project Orca, the county had disposed of 108,661 cases, becoming a model for justice systems across the state and nation. In July, Fulton won one of the [https://www.naco.org/resources/award-programs/project-orca-covid-19-case-resolution National Association of Counties’ Achievement Awards] for its innovative methods of whittling down the backlog. In May it won an [https://www.georgiatrend.com/2023/05/25/innovate-connect-improve/ Association County Commissioners of Georgia County of Excellence Award] for the same reason.<ref>[https://www.law.com/dailyreportonline/2023/08/28/how-fulton-countys-project-orca-devoured-108661-court-cases-and-counting/?slreturn=20230908091818 ''How Fulton County’s Project Orca Devoured 108,661 Court Cases and Counting'', by Everett Catts (August 28, 2023)]</ref> | ||
</blockquote> | </blockquote> | ||
===The Case Race=== | ===The Case Race=== | ||
So, how exactly does this Project ORCA ''devour'' cases at such a rapid pace? What is the secret? Cobb County attorney, [https://mcmasterlegal.com/ Matthew D. McMaster], shared his opinion: "The court's due diligence is our due process. And due diligence takes time. If time is being reduced, so is due diligence and, in turn, due process. It's as simple as that." When asked if there’s evidence proving that due process rights were being sacrificed at the hand of Project ORCA, McMaster responded: "Absolutely. The numbers don't lie.” | So, how exactly does this Project ORCA ''devour'' cases at such a rapid pace? What is the secret? Cobb County attorney, [https://mcmasterlegal.com/ Matthew D. McMaster], shared his opinion: "The court's due diligence is our due process. And due diligence takes time. If time is being reduced, so is due diligence and, in turn, due process. It's as simple as that." When asked if there’s evidence proving that due process rights were being sacrificed at the hand of Project ORCA, McMaster responded: "Absolutely. The numbers don't lie.” | ||
To his point, looking at the numbers, disposing of over 100,000 cases in a year and a half leaves little time for due process. Project ORCA keeps a public scorecard of the number of cases closed by judge.<ref>[https://sharefulton.fultoncountyga.gov/dataset/Project-ORCA-Open-and-Closed-Cases-by-JudgeName/6th6-2xwr Project ORCA: Open and Closed Cases by JudgeName]</ref> While best intentions may be behind keeping score in this manner, the end result is that judges are incentivized to cut corners,<ref>''See example'' [https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/index.php?title=Karma_prevails_and_Recusal_Motion_ensues Karma prevails and Recusal Motion ensues]. ''See also'' [https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/index.php/Fulton_Sheriff_wrongfully_evicts_Mother_and_children Fulton Sheriff wrongfully evicts Mother and Children]</ref> sacrificing due process, simply to keep their case numbers down. Contributing to the atrocity, Fulton was nationally recognized "for its innovative methods of whittling down the backlog." It is clear here that, as with communism, misplaced incentives result in misbehavior—namely, abuse of power and deprivation of rights. | To his point, looking at the numbers, disposing of over 100,000 cases in a year and a half leaves little time for due process. Project ORCA keeps a public scorecard of the number of cases closed by judge.<ref>[https://sharefulton.fultoncountyga.gov/dataset/Project-ORCA-Open-and-Closed-Cases-by-JudgeName/6th6-2xwr Project ORCA: Open and Closed Cases by JudgeName]</ref> While best intentions may be behind keeping score in this manner, the end result is that judges are incentivized to cut corners,<ref>''See example'' [https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/index.php?title=Karma_prevails_and_Recusal_Motion_ensues Karma prevails and Recusal Motion ensues]. ''See also'' [https://thewikilaw.org/wiki/index.php/Fulton_Sheriff_wrongfully_evicts_Mother_and_children Fulton Sheriff wrongfully evicts Mother and Children]</ref> sacrificing due process, simply to keep their case numbers down. Contributing to the atrocity, Fulton was nationally recognized "for its innovative methods of whittling down the backlog." It is clear here that, as with communism, misplaced incentives result in misbehavior—namely, abuse of power and deprivation of rights. | ||
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