Cobb Superior Court Clerk Indicted and Booked on Felony Charges

Cobb County Superior Court Clerk Connie Taylor was indicted Thursday by a grand jury on four felony charges—two counts of destroying public records and two counts of violating her oath of office. The indictment follows a Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) probe into her handling of a 2022 open records request related to passport fee collections.

Taylor turned herself in to the Cobb County Jail around 7 a.m. Friday. Jail records show she was processed, had her mugshot taken, and was released after about 80 minutes on a signature bond—meaning she did not have to post cash bail. She paid a $20 bond fee. Judge William “Beau” McClain approved the bond at the recommendation of the Georgia Attorney General’s Office.

According to the indictment, Taylor allegedly instructed her accounting manager, Maya Curry, to delete a digital folder containing passport service fee records, as well as an email related to those revenues, after receiving media inquiries in 2022. The scrutiny followed news reports examining Taylor’s collection of passport processing fees—a practice also used by her predecessor. Georgia law allows Superior Court clerks to personally collect a $35 processing fee per passport. Over her first two years in office, Taylor collected more than $425,000 in such fees, in addition to her $170,000 annual county salary.

However, Taylor also retained nearly $83,700 in expedited shipping fees—charges that state law does not permit to be collected as personal income. She returned that money to the county in early 2024 but offered no public explanation for the delay.

Whistleblower Maya Curry is represented by attorney Stacey Evans. In a letter, dated Nov. 17, 2022, Evans alleged that Taylor “chastised” her client for asking how she intended to allocate the passport fee revenue. As Curry sought clarification, Evans wrote that Taylor claimed the passport fees were “her money,” refused to provide records related to her predecessor’s fee collections, said she would tell reporters no documents existed, and allegedly added that the office would “get rid” of any related records. According to the letter, Taylor stated, “We’re just going to Donald Trump this thing.”

Curry’s claims prompted the GBI investigation, which was later referred to the state Attorney General’s White-Collar and Cyber Crime Unit in 2024.

Taylor, a Democrat, was first elected in 2020 and reelected in 2024. The Cobb District Attorney’s Office has recused itself from the case, and a judge from Georgia’s 7th Judicial District will be appointed to oversee the proceedings.

Her office has also faced operational challenges. In 2023, a botched software transition led to court disruptions, prompting the chief judge to declare a judicial emergency—a rare measure typically reserved for natural disasters. A 2024 survey by the Cobb Bar Association found that 60% of respondents rated the clerk’s office performance as “poor.”

If Taylor is convicted of a felony, she will be automatically removed from office. In the meantime, state law requires the governor to review the matter. Gov. Brian Kemp will appoint a three-member commission—consisting of two Superior Court clerks and a retired judge—to investigate and recommend whether Taylor should be suspended. If the panel advises suspension, Kemp has the authority to suspend her without pay until the case is resolved.

Taylor has not issued a public statement. She is represented by former Gov. Roy Barnes.