---
title: HB 1258. Muscogee County; State Court; provide additional judge
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1258
cite_as: HB 1258, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1258
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1258.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1258/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73028
date: 2026-05-12
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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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 887
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1258.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1258
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-12
last_action: Effective Date 2026-05-12
sponsors:
  - Teddy Reese
  - Carolyn Hugley
  - Carmen Rice
  - Debbie Buckner
  - Vance Smith
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1258/2025
upstream_id: 2112284
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - Muscogee County courts
  - state court judges
  - local judicial elections
  - Georgia courts
---

# HB 1258. Muscogee County; State Court; provide additional judge

## Text

House Bill 1258 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representatives Reese of the 140th, Hugley of the 141st, Rice of the 139th, Buckner of the
137th, and Smith of the 138th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend an Act establishing the State Court of Muscogee County, approved December 20,
1884 (Ga. L. 1884-85, p. 455), as amended, particularly by an Act approved March 19, 1987
(Ga. L. 1987, p. 4423), so as to provide an additional judge; to provide for the election of the
initial additional judge; to provide for terms of office of said additional judge and successors
to such judge; to provide for the powers and privileges of said additional judge; to provide
for the compensation and expenses of said additional judge; to provide for related matters;
to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
An Act establishing the State Court of Muscogee County, approved December 20, 1884 (Ga.
L. 1884-85, p. 455), as amended, particularly by an Act approved March 19, 1987 (Ga. L.
1987, p. 4423), is amended by revising subsection (a) of Section 2.1 as follows:
"(a) As of January 1, 2027, the State Court of Muscogee County shall consist of three
judges. The two judges of the state court in office on December 31, 2026, shall serve out
the terms of office to which such judges were elected or appointed. The third judge of the
state court shall be elected in a manner provided by law for the election of judges of the
state courts of this state at the nonpartisan general election in 2026, for a term of four years
beginning on January 1, 2027, and until his or her successor is elected and qualified. Such
election shall be held and conducted in a manner provided for by law for the election of
judges of the state courts of this state. Each judge shall have and may exercise all powers,
duties, dignity, jurisdiction, privileges, and immunities of the present judges of the State
Court of Muscogee County. The compensation, salary, supplements, and contingent
expense allowances of the third judge shall be the same as that of the other judges of the
State Court of Muscogee County."
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 1258 adds a third judge to the State Court of Muscogee County starting January 1, 2027, with that judge to be elected in the November 2026 nonpartisan general election.

### Plain-language summary

The State Court of Muscogee County currently has two judges under a law dating back to 1884, as later amended in 1987. This bill amends that law to expand the court to three judges effective January 1, 2027. The two sitting judges keep serving out the terms to which they were already elected or appointed.
The new, third judge would be chosen at the nonpartisan general election in 2026, using the same election process used for other state court judges in Georgia, and would serve a four-year term starting January 1, 2027. The bill specifies that the new judge has the same powers, duties, jurisdiction, privileges, and immunities as the other two judges, and receives the same pay, salary supplements, and expense allowances. The bill also repeals any conflicting laws.

### What it does

- Expands the State Court of Muscogee County from two judges to three judges, effective January 1, 2027.
- Lets the two current judges finish out the terms they were already elected or appointed to serve.
- Requires the new third judge to be chosen in the 2026 nonpartisan general election, the same process used for other state court judges.
- Sets the new judge's initial term at four years, beginning January 1, 2027, continuing until a successor is elected and qualified.
- Gives the third judge the same legal powers, duties, and jurisdiction as the other two judges of the court.
- Sets the third judge's pay, salary supplements, and expense allowances equal to those of the other judges.

### Who it affects

Residents and litigants of Muscogee County who use the State Court, the two current State Court judges, whoever is elected to the new third judgeship, county election officials who must add the seat to the 2026 ballot, and county government responsible for funding the new judge's compensation.

### Why it matters

Adding a third judge could help the State Court of Muscogee County handle its caseload faster, potentially shortening wait times for people with civil and criminal cases before the court. Voters in Muscogee County will also see a new judicial race on the 2026 ballot.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 revises subsection (a) of Section 2.1 of the 1884 Act (as amended in 1987) to set the court's size at three judges as of January 1, 2027.
- The two judges in office on December 31, 2026, keep serving their current terms without interruption.
- The third judge is to be elected at the nonpartisan general election in 2026, under the same rules used statewide for state court judge elections.
- The new judge's initial term is four years starting January 1, 2027, running until a successor is elected and qualified.
- The new judge has the same powers, duties, jurisdiction, privileges, and immunities as the court's existing judges.
- The new judge's compensation, salary, supplements, and expense allowances match those of the other judges.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2026-05-12)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-05-12 (2026-05-12)
- Sponsors: Teddy Reese, Carolyn Hugley, Carmen Rice, Debbie Buckner, Vance Smith
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73028

> The history, votes, and amendments (887 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1258.md?full=1