Cobb Superior Court Clerk Taylor’s Case Delayed Again After New Indictment

Marietta, GA – The criminal case against suspended Cobb Superior Court Clerk Connie Taylor has been delayed once more after prosecutors secured a new indictment adding felony charges related to the alleged destruction of public records.

A Cobb County grand jury last week reindicted Taylor on the same core charges she has faced since July, while adding three new felony counts of attempted destruction of public records. The move prompted the judge overseeing the case to postpone a scheduled hearing and reset the pretrial timeline.

Taylor, who has served as clerk since 2020, is being prosecuted by the office of Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. Prosecutors allege Taylor ordered an employee to destroy records connected to her handling of passport application fees, which the state contends she improperly collected as personal income.

She was first indicted in July 2025 on two counts of destruction of public records and two counts of violating her oath of office.

Attorneys for both sides appeared Thursday morning for what was expected to be arguments on several pending pretrial motions governing what evidence and arguments would be allowed at trial. Instead, Taylor’s defense asked for additional time to review the new indictment.

Former Gov. Roy Barnes, one of Taylor’s attorneys, told the court that the defense had not been notified in advance of the reindictment and that it would be inefficient to argue motions tied to an indictment the state may no longer pursue.

Prosecutor John Fowler argued that most of the state’s pending motions were unaffected by the revised charges and could proceed as scheduled. Senior Superior Court Judge David Emerson disagreed, siding with the defense and postponing the hearing.

Emerson scheduled a new arraignment for March 3. Taylor previously waived her right to a formal arraignment, and her attorneys indicated she plans to waive the second arraignment as well. The court also granted the defense’s request for an additional 30 days after arraignment to file motions, a request the state did not oppose.

As a result, the next substantive hearing in the case is not expected to take place until April at the earliest.

Taylor has been suspended without pay since August following a recommendation from a commission appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to investigate her conduct. She will remain suspended while the case is pending. If convicted, Taylor would be permanently removed from office.