After Fulton County, Georgia, suffered a cyber attack and the subsequent power outage in late January, which led to malfunctions in court records, tax processing, and the court system’s website, there are concerns about the future of Fulton County’s court cases and its system general.
Criminal defense lawyer Joshua Schiffer noted that his work is becoming more strenuous now that the provisions are in place, causing a backlog of cases.
It is not yet clear whether the attack was ransomware or some other destructive action that makes it impossible to access the data.
“We can’t do our jobs. Nor can the courts … when we slow down a system as big as ours, the effects ripple through the rest of the system,” he said.
And it’s not just lawyers or public officials who find themselves in difficulty.
“Clients are terrified and scared,” Schiffer said, adding that both plaintiffs and defendants have difficulty finding information and researching cases online. “The criminal justice system is already deeply intimidating, and now everyone says so [that] It’s a little more broken and slower than normal.”
Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts said the county is working to restore services, but it is unknown when the court filing system will be restored to full functionality.