WRC has tremendous news!  DeKalb County has been selected by the federal Office on Violence Against Women as a test site for a dedicated domestic violence court.  Our agency will partner with DeKalb County Magistrate Court, Tapestri, and the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office to create one of Georgia's only dedicated court programs for domestic violence.  This means that our legal advocates will be available on-site at the courthouse to assist with protective orders, arrest warrants, and other issues and will provide support to women during their court hearings.  Cases will be heard by specially selected and trained judges and Magistrate Court will have additional mechanisms in place for holding batterers accountable for their actions and for any violations of court orders.  Our program will also be used as a model for urban court jurisdictions around the nation.  DeKalb was selected because of our reputation for strong partnerships between advocacy agencies and the courts and for the creative proposal we submitted outlining our ideas for the program.  We are excited to begin the planning phase of the program next month with the goal of launching the court in the summer.