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Magistrate Court

Chief Magistrate Judge Phinia Aten

Judge Phinia Aten began her term as the Chief Magistrate Judge of Rockdale County on January 1, 2013. Prior to her election, she was recognized as one of Georgia’s top female attorneys by her peers and the general public, having garnered scores of headlines over the last decade as lead counsel in numerous highly-publicized cases.

Judge Aten was admitted to the Georgia State Bar in 1998, and primarily handled criminal and civil litigation matters for 14 years. She earned her law degree and a certificate of sports law from Tulane Law School in New Orleans. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Wayne State University in Detroit.

The Magistrate Court was established in 1983 by the Georgia Legislature and replaced the former Justice of the Peace System. This is a court of inquiry with the primary responsibility to determine the sufficiency of evidence.

Services administered from department include: civil claims, garnishments, and abandoned motor vehicles of $15,000 or less, dispossessory writs (evictions), distress warrants, ordinance violations, issuance of bad check citations, applications for and issuance of arrest and search warrants, bad check citation and misdemeanor bad check warrant hearings, and first appearance and committal hearings.

No jury trials are held in Magistrate Court. Appeals from this court are made to the Superior and State Courts.

The Chief Magistrate Court Judge is elected to serve a four-year term.  The Chief Magistrate Court Judge is Phinia Aten.

Location:
Offices: 945 Court Street, Conyers, Georgia 30012
Courtroom: 948 Bank Street (same building)

Mailing Address:
Post Office Box 289
Conyers, Georgia 30012

Office Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Monday through Friday

Telephone: 770-278-7800
Fax: 770-278-8915