In a case that underscores everything wrong with unchecked government power and blatant partisan mismanagement, Cobb County Superior Court Clerk Connie Taylor has officially been indicted by a grand jury on four felony charges: two counts of destruction of public records and two counts of violating her oath of office. Taylor was booked into the Cobb County Jail Friday morning then released on her own recognizance, she did not have to post cash bail.
For those following the saga, this isn’t surprising, it’s the culmination of years of dysfunction, deflection, and damage under Taylor’s leadership. Cobb Voice has reported extensively on Taylor’s actions. What is surprising is just how long it took to get here.
Related Coverage on Cobb Voice
- Accountability at Cobb County’s Superior Court
- From Efficiency to Embarrassment: The Downfall of Cobb County’s Court System
- Judicial Emergency Extended Amid Mounting Failures
- Corruption, Cover-Ups, and Questions: The Scandal Surrounding Cobb County Clerk Connie Taylor
- Cobb County’s New Real Estate Filing System is a Major Disaster for Property Rights
- Superior Court Clerk Employee Turnover Responsible for Unnecessary Warrants against Citizens
- Superior court clerks are personally profiting off passport fees
A Pattern of Alleged Corruption, Not an Isolated Incident
Taylor, a Democrat who ousted a Republican incumbent in 2020 and re-elected in 2024, quickly made headlines not for reform, but for personally pocketing over $425,000 in passport fees collected from Cobb County residents on top of her $170,000+ annual salary. While a little-known Georgia law technically allows Superior Court clerks to keep those funds, her handling of those revenues lacked transparency, raising serious ethical questions and igniting bipartisan concerns.
To address this loophole, State Senator Kay Kirkpatrick (R-Marietta) introduced Senate Bill 19, now law, which requires clerks to disclose all passport fee income. That law took effect in January 2025 and was a direct response to the questionable enrichment of public officials like Taylor under the guise of legal authority.
But Taylor didn’t just stretch the law, she allegedly tried to cover her tracks.
Further In February 2025 and after two years of silence, delays, and excuses, Taylor suddenly decided to return $84,000 she also illegally pocketed in passport shipping fees from 2020 to 2022. These are fees she took for the expedited shipping of passports and separate from passport “processing” fees she also kept.
But why wait two years? And why did it take this long for any action to be taken?
This isn’t just about a refund, it’s about accountability, or the lack of it. The deeper you dig into this story, the more it reeks of corruption, incompetence, and political favoritism.
Why Did Connie Taylor Hold on to Illegally Collected Funds for Two Years?
The facts are clear: Taylor, by her own admission, improperly, or illegally, took $83,658.90 in expedited passport shipping fees. This was identified years ago, yet only under mounting scrutiny and possibly advisement from her legal council, did she agreed to pay it back.
Back in November 2022, she claimed she was ready to return the money, but at the last minute, the Cobb Board of Commissioner’s Chair Lisa Cupid mysteriously pulled the agenda item. County Manager Jackie McMorris feebly defended the decision, saying there were “so many questions” left unanswered, but she’s right.
The citizens of Cobb County deserve answers to many questions:
- Why didn’t Cobb Chair Lisa Cupid demand answers then? Was she too busy illegally redrawing Cobb’s voting (Home Rule) maps in order to protect her Democrat comrades?
- Why was Taylor allowed to sit on this money for two more years?
- Where was the money kept all this time? In her personal account or cash deposit bearing interest?
- Why did the other members of the Board of Commissioners let this drag on?
- What about the expedited shipping fees collected since 2022 allegedly totaling more than $40,000? Have those funds been paid back to the county?
If an average citizen illegally held on to public funds, they would face serious consequences. So why did Cobb County Commission Chair Lisa Cupid and the Board of Commissioners do nothing to insist the return of this money sooner?
The fact that nothing happened for two years raises serious concerns about whether certain county commissioners were shielding Taylor from consequences.
The Alleged Cover-Up: Emails Deleted, Records Destroyed
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), working with the Attorney General’s Cyber Crime Unit, began investigating Taylor in 2022 after a whistleblower alleged that she ordered staff to delete financial records and emails related to her passport fee collections. These deletions followed an open records request by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a major red flag indicating possible intent to obstruct public transparency.
Now, that investigation has yielded formal charges. “The intentional destruction of public records is a serious offense that undermines transparency and public trust,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey. “We remain committed to working alongside our local, state, and federal partners to ensure accountability and uphold the integrity of government operations across Georgia.”
In press release from the office of Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr “Georgians deserve honesty and transparency from their elected officials. Any attempts to conceal or destroy government records are serious allegations that cannot be ignored.” Hmm, we’ll get back to that.
Taylor, of course, has not spoken publicly about the indictment, but her silence speaks volumes.
The issue here is not just alleged misconduct, it’s the alleged cover-up. Taylor was entrusted with maintaining the public’s records, not erasing them. This is the type of behavior you’d expect in a third-world regime, not in Cobb County, Georgia.
The Other Problem: Why the Delay in the Attorney General’s Office?
Here’s where the story turns political.
Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican now running for Governor, chose Thursday to finally act on an investigation his office has had for over a year. Why now?
Carr’s campaign website lists “government accountability” as one of his top issues. But the optics here are hard to ignore: a long-dormant case suddenly moves forward the same week Carr ramps up his statewide campaign for Georgia’s highest office.
Coincidence? Maybe. But it’s also convenient.
If the GBI handed over their findings in spring of 2024, why did it take until July 31, 2025 to move this case forward? Why wasn’t Connie Taylor indicted last year, when the evidence first landed on Carr’s desk?
Why weren’t the GBI’s investigation findings acted upon prior to the November 2024 Election? This could have saved Cobb residents from possible further injury from an allegedly corrupt elected official.
In the meantime, Taylor continued to serve as Cobb County’s Clerk of Superior Court, drawing a taxpayer-funded salary, controlling access to sensitive records, and presiding over the very system she’s now accused of corrupting.
That delay allowed Taylor to operate and maneuver with impunity, shielded from public accountability while the Attorney General’s office sat on a mountain of damning evidence.
The voters of Cobb would like an answer.
Judicial Emergencies and Administrative Meltdowns
While Cobb citizens awaited action from the Attorney General’s office, Cobb County’s entire judicial system has teetered on collapse under Taylor’s failed leadership and incompetence.
In August 2024, Cobb’s Chief Superior Court Judge declared a judicial emergency, citing widespread dysfunction in Taylor’s office. Read our full report here.
The failures allegedly led to:
- Lost court documents
- Unserved warrants
- Wrongful arrests
- Delayed court proceedings
In a additional follow-up investigation, Cobb Voice exposed how the mismanagement and employee turnover in Taylor’s office allegedly led to innocent citizens being slapped with unnecessary arrest warrants, a nightmare scenario for any law-abiding Georgian.
Even those not tangled in the legal system have felt the ripple effects. In October 2024, Taylor’s office implemented a new digital real estate filing system, which was an unmitigated disaster. Read the full story. Property owners, realtors, and attorneys were left scrambling to file deeds and resolve title issues, jeopardizing property rights across the county.
Even the the Cobb Bar Association was vocal in criticizing Taylor’s failures, with 60% of local attorneys rating her performance as “poor” in a survey conducted last year. Legal professionals witnessed firsthand the chaos she created, from misplaced case files to missing court notices.
What Comes Next?
As of now, Taylor remains in office, though likely not for long. But the damage is already done. Her indictment comes after years of public outcry, media coverage, documented scandals, and pleas for reform and accountability.
Under Georgia law, when a Superior Court clerk is indicted on felony charges, as Connie Taylor now is, Governor Brian Kemp is required to appoint a special commission to review the case. This isn’t optional, it’s the law.
That commission will be made up of two sitting Superior Court clerks and one retired judge, professionals who understand the gravity of public service and the rule of law.
Their job? To investigate the facts surrounding Taylor’s indictment and make a recommendation to the governor. If the commission finds sufficient cause, Governor Kemp has the authority to suspend Taylor without pay while the criminal case proceeds.
This process exists for a reason, to ensure accountability when public officials betray their oath. The people of Cobb County deserve better. And now, the wheels of justice are finally in motion.
This case isn’t about politics. It’s about restoring basic trust in local government, a trust that was shattered under Connie Taylor’s watch.
