ATLANTA — Prior to Sept. 8, many Atlanta Municipal Couty judges only heard cases Monday through Thursday.
Channel 2 Action News first revealed the controversial work hours in June after an Atlanta City Council public safety committee meeting turned into a shouting match.
"It is as simple as, how many of you worked five days last week," Council Member Keisha Lance Bottoms sternly asked.
"I've never been disrespected by someone asking me to raise my hand to see who all worked last week," a judge yelled back.
All nine of Atlanta's municipal judges attended the meeting to ask the committee to fund several vacant positions.
In the days that followed, to force the judges to work an extra day, the City Council passed a resolution vowing to cut their department's budget by 75 percent if they didn't agree to hear cases five days a week.
Council member Lance Bottoms is pleased that it no longer needs to happen.
"I am thrilled. I have been asking for this for a very long time, and to know that they are doing it even before scheduled, they were scheduled to do it by Oct. 1," she said.
Atlanta's traffic court is the busiest in the state. Traditionally, it is plagued by a backlog of cases, long lines and packed courtrooms.
Channel 2 Action News has learned, along with working Fridays, the judges agreed to have four case sessions a day instead of two.
The city's municipal judges make $155,000 a year. An audit prepared by the city's auditor showed the judges average 16 hours a week on the bench.
Bottoms told Channel 2's Erica Byfield, the changes show the city's commitment to providing a good service.
"I'm just glad to see that everyone has stepped up," she said.
In the future, Bottoms would like to see the court administration extend the courthouse's operating hours and she would like the judges' pay to reflect the number of days they work.