Georgia CommonsHB 1121: Cordele Judicial Court; change certain terms of court
Last action May 11, 2026 · Effective Date 2026-07-01
House Bill 1121 changes when the Cordele Judicial Circuit's superior courts convene, moving four counties from multiple staggered court terms per year to just two set terms, on January 1 and July 1.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Enrolled version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
Georgia law sets specific calendar dates, called terms of court, when superior courts in each judicial circuit must convene. Before this bill, the Cordele Judicial Circuit, which covers Ben Hill, Crisp, Dooly, and Wilcox counties, had a patchwork of different term dates for each county spread across the year, tied to specific Mondays in different months. House Bill 1121 rewrites part of Georgia's court terms law (O.C.G.A. § 15-6-3) so that all four counties in the Cordele Circuit now share the same two terms of court: one starting January 1 and one starting July 1. The bill does not change anything else about how the circuit's courts operate; it only resets the calendar dates for when court sessions begin. It repeals any conflicting laws once enacted.
What the bill does
- Replaces the separate, staggered court term schedules for Ben Hill, Crisp, Dooly, and Wilcox counties with a single shared schedule.
- Sets two terms of court per year for each of the four counties, beginning January 1 and July 1.
- Removes the old system of terms tied to specific Mondays in different months for each county.
- Repeals any existing laws that conflict with the new term schedule.
Who it affects
Superior court judges, clerks, attorneys, jurors, and litigants in Ben Hill, Crisp, Dooly, and Wilcox counties, all part of the Cordele Judicial Circuit, whose court calendars and scheduling would follow the new simplified term dates.
Why it matters
Court terms affect when grand juries convene, when certain filing deadlines run, and how court dockets are scheduled. Standardizing the four counties onto the same two annual terms could simplify scheduling and coordination for judges, attorneys, and court staff working across the circuit.
Key provisions
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 15-6-3(13) to set January 1 and July 1 as the terms of court for Ben Hill County, replacing the prior multi-date schedule.
- Section 1 sets the same January 1 and July 1 terms for Crisp, Dooly, and Wilcox counties, replacing each county's separate prior schedule.
- Section 2 repeals any laws or parts of laws that conflict with the new term dates.
Status timeline
- Effective Date 2026-07-01
- Act 446
- House Date Signed by Governor (House)
- House Sent to Governor (House)
- House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
- Senate Third Read (Senate)
- Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
Show full history (18 actions)
- Senate Tabled (Senate)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Noel Williams (R, HD-148)
- Leesa Hagan (R, HD-156)
- Patty Stinson (D, HD-150)
- Steven McNeel (R, SD-018)
Votes
- House voteFebruary 17, 2026
162 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 8 absent)
- Senate voteMarch 27, 2026
26 yea, 22 nay (3 not voting, 3 absent)
- Senate voteMarch 27, 2026
47 yea, 0 nay (2 not voting, 5 absent)
- House voteMarch 31, 2026
165 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 6 absent)
Topics
- courts
- Cordele Judicial Circuit
- superior court terms
- local government