Overview
The Municipal Court consists of four judges who are attorneys and residents of Decatur, appointed by the City Commissioners. The City Commission appoints Municipal Court Judges and the City Attorney. The four judges are Berryl A. Anderson, Edward E. Carriere, Jr., Robert Leitch, and Rhathelia Stroud. The City Commission has appointed two substitute judges to serve in the absence of any of the regular judges.  The substitute judges are Lindsay R.M. Jones and Andrew T. Rogers.  The City Attorney, also appointed by the City Commission, is Bryan Downs. 

Court cases are heard on:

• Monday, 9 am
• Wednesday, 9 am (Traffic unit court date)
• Tuesday & Thursday, 5:30 pm
• Saturday 7:30 am, (Jail case bond hearings only)

The Municipal Court holds first appearance and preliminary hearings for felony and misdemeanor charges to determine if enough probable cause exists to bind the case over to Superior or State Court. The Municipal Court holds trials for traffic charges, some misdemeanors, city ordinance and parking violations. The judges can assign fines and incarceration if the person is found guilty.

The Court accepts payment of fines or bonds in the following ways:

• Cash
• Money order
• Certified check
• Credit card

The Municipal Court contracts with a private probation service which can arrange payment plans for those individuals unable to pay their fines at court. The Probation Service supervises Court-ordered community service work and any other special conditions set by a judge at trial.

Two court clerks, Lori Taylor and Faye Brantley, ensure all paperwork is prepared and processed before and after a hearing.

A Look Back
The first records of a City of Decatur Court System was the Mayors Court Docket #1 for the years 1896-1913. The Mayors Court form of a judicial system continued into the late 1940s when it became the Police Court. A review of past court dockets reveals the following charges and fines.