---
title: HB 1121. Cordele Judicial Court; change certain terms of court
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1121
cite_as: HB 1121, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1121
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1121.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1121/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72675
date: 2026-05-11
status: passed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1122.md
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 1567
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1121.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1121
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-11
last_action: Effective Date 2026-07-01
sponsors:
- Noel Williams
- Leesa Hagan
- Patty Stinson
- Steven McNeel
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1121/2025
upstream_id: 2104393
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- courts
- Cordele Judicial Circuit
- superior court terms
- local government
---
# HB 1121. Cordele Judicial Court; change certain terms of court
## Text
House Bill 1121 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representatives Williams of the 148th, Hagan of the 156th, and Stinson of the 150th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Title 15 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to courts, so as to
change certain terms of court in the Cordele Judicial Circuit; to provide for related matters;
to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Title 15 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to courts, is amended in
Article 1 of Chapter 6, relating to general provisions relative to superior courts, by revising
paragraph (13) of Code Section 15-6-3, relating to terms of superior courts, as follows:
"(13) Cordele Circuit:
(A) Ben Hill County — Second and third Mondays in January; first, second, and third
Mondays in April; third and fourth Mondays in June; and third and fourth Mondays in
September and Monday following January 1 and July 1.
(B) Crisp County — Third and fourth Mondays in February and Monday following;
third and fourth Mondays in May; first, second, and third Mondays in August; and
second and third Mondays in November January 1 and July 1.
(C) Dooly County — First and second Mondays in February; fourth Monday in April
and Monday following; third and fourth Mondays in July; and third and fourth
Mondays in October January 1 and July 1.
(D) Wilcox County — Second and third Mondays in March; fourth Monday in August
and Monday following; and first and second Mondays in December January 1 and
July 1."
SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
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.
### Plain-language summary
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 it 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
- Status: Passed (2026-05-11)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-07-01 (2026-05-11)
- Sponsors: Noel Williams, Leesa Hagan, Patty Stinson, Steven McNeel
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72675
> The history, votes, and amendments (1,567 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1121.md?full=1