--- title: HB 132. Council of Municipal Court Judges; office of senior municipal court judge; provide collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb132 cite_as: HB 132, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb132 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb132.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb132/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69530 date: 2025-04-04 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb131.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb133.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 235 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb132.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 132 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-01-27 last_action: House Withdrawn, Recommitted sponsors: - Matt Reeves - Mary Oliver - Joseph Gullett - Rob Leverett - Tyler Smith - Arlene Beckles text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB132/2025 upstream_id: 1943386 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - municipal courts - judicial retirement - court administration - local government - judges --- # HB 132. Council of Municipal Court Judges; office of senior municipal court judge; provide ## Text 25 LC 47 3211 House Bill 132 By: Representatives Reeves of the 99th, Oliver of the 84th, Gullett of the 19th, Leverett of the 123rd, Smith of the 18th, and others A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Article 3 of Chapter 32 of Title 36 of the Official Co de of Georgia Annotated,1 relating to the Council of Municipal Court Judges, so as to provide for the office of senior2 municipal court judge; to provide for qualifications, application and approval procedures, and3 amenities and privileges of such judges; to preserve local actions establishing senior judges4 for particular municipal courts; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and5 for other purposes.6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:7 SECTION 1.8 Article 3 of Chapter 32 of Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the9 Council of Municipal Court Judges, is amended in Code Section 3 6-32-40, relating to10 creation of council, membership and organization, purpose, expenses, contracts, assistance11 to council, members not ineligible to hold office of judge and notifications, by revising12 subsection (a) as follows:13 "(a) There is created a council of municipal court judges to be known as the 'Council of14 Municipal Court Judges of Georgia.' The council shall be composed of the judges of the15 municipal courts of this state together with the senior municipal court judges of this state16 H. B. 132 - 1 - 25 LC 47 3211 as provided for in Code Section 36-32-42. The council is authorized to organize itself and17 to develop a constitution and bylaws. The officers of said cou ncil shall consist of a18 president, a first vice president, a second vice president, a secretary, a treasurer, and such19 other officers as the council shall deem necessary. The counci l shall have an executive20 committee composed of two representatives from each judicial administrative district."21 SECTION 2.22 Said article is further amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:23 "36-32-42.24 (a) There is created the office of senior municipal court judg e of this state. Any former25 judge of a municipal court of this state or any former judge of a court of this state26 exercising municipal court jurisdiction may apply to become a senior municipal court judge27 if such former judge is no longer serving as a municipal court judge and had previously28 served in such capacity for an aggregate period of not less than ten years. The president29 of the Council of Municipal Court Judges, shall prescribe the form for such applications,30 review applications, and notify applicants as to whether or not he or she will be appointed31 as a senior municipal court judge. The approval or denial of an application shall be made32 within 30 days of the submission of such application.33 (b)(1) A senior municipal court judge appointed pursuant to subsection (a) of this Code34 section shall:35 (A) Comply with the mandatory training required by subsection (c) of Code Section36 36-32-27 in order to maintain the status as a certified municip al court judge or a37 certified judge of a court exercising municipal court jurisdiction;38 (B) Be licensed to practice law in the State of Georgia; and39 (C) Be an active member in good standing of the State Bar of Georgia.40 H. B. 132 - 2 - 25 LC 47 3211 (2) Any former municipal court judge who is not licensed to pr actice law in this state41 may apply for senior municipal court judge status if such former judge otherwise meets42 the qualifications required by Code Section 36-32-1.1.43 (c) A senior municipal court judge shall not be required to pay any support or registration44 fees related to the mandatory training required by subparagraph (b)(1)(A) of this Code45 section, but such judge shall be responsible for all other costs attendant to said mandatory46 training.47 (d) Senior municipal court judges shall enjoy all of the amenities and privileges of judges48 of other classes of courts of this state that are otherwise accorded to municipal court judges. 49 Senior municipal court judges shall not be required to sit as a judge in any court or be50 required to comply with the requirements of subsection (b) of t his Code section in order51 to enjoy the amenities and privileges accorded pursuant to this Code section.52 (d) This Code section shall not supersede any local law, Act, ordinance, resolution, or53 other official action by a municipality establishing the office of senior judge of a particular54 municipal court."55 SECTION 3.56 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.57 H. B. 132 - 3 - ## 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 132 would create a statewide status of senior municipal court judge in Georgia, letting former municipal court judges with at least ten years of service apply to keep certain judicial privileges after leaving the bench. ### Plain-language summary Georgia law currently sets up the Council of Municipal Court Judges but has no formal status for retired municipal judges. House Bill 132 amends Georgia's municipal court laws (O.C.G.A. Title 36, Chapter 32) to create a new position called senior municipal court judge. A former municipal court judge, or a former judge who exercised municipal court jurisdiction, could apply for this status if they served at least ten years and are no longer sitting as a judge. The council's president would review applications and decide within 30 days whether to approve them. Approved senior judges would have to keep up mandatory judicial training and stay licensed and in good standing with the State Bar of Georgia, unless they qualify under a separate exception for judges who never needed a law license. Senior judges would not have to pay training fees, would not be required to actually sit as judges, and would get the same amenities and privileges as other Georgia judges. The bill also adds senior municipal court judges to the membership of the statewide council and protects existing local laws that already created senior judge positions in specific cities. ### What it does - Creates a new statewide status of senior municipal court judge for former municipal court judges with at least ten years of prior service. - Requires the Council of Municipal Court Judges' president to review applications and approve or deny them within 30 days. - Requires senior judges to complete mandatory judicial training and remain licensed and in good standing with the State Bar of Georgia, with an exception for judges who never needed a law license. - Waives training support and registration fees for senior judges while still making them pay other training costs. - Grants senior judges the same amenities and privileges as other Georgia judges without requiring them to actually preside over cases. - Adds senior municipal court judges to the membership of the Council of Municipal Court Judges of Georgia. ### Who it affects The change mainly affects former and retired municipal court judges in Georgia who want to keep an official judicial status, the Council of Municipal Court Judges of Georgia and its president, and municipalities that already have local laws creating senior judge positions for their own courts. ### Why it matters Retired municipal court judges who qualify could keep formal recognition, training support, and judicial privileges without being required to hear cases, giving Georgia cities a pool of experienced, certified former judges and giving those judges continued standing within the state's judicial system. ### Key provisions - Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 36-32-40 to add senior municipal court judges as members of the Council of Municipal Court Judges of Georgia. - Section 2 creates new O.C.G.A. § 36-32-42, establishing the senior municipal court judge application process, with approval or denial required within 30 days. - Subsection (b) requires senior judges to complete mandatory training, hold a Georgia law license, and stay in good standing with the State Bar, with an exception under O.C.G.A. § 36-32-1.1 for judges who lack a law license. - Subsection (c) exempts senior judges from training support and registration fees but leaves them responsible for other training costs. - Subsection (d) grants senior judges the same privileges as other Georgia judges and does not require them to sit as judges to keep those privileges. - A second subsection labeled (d) clarifies the new law does not override existing local laws or ordinances that already created senior judge offices for specific municipal courts. - Section 3 repeals conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-01-27) - Last action: House Withdrawn, Recommitted (2025-04-04) - Sponsors: Matt Reeves, Mary Oliver, Joseph Gullett, Rob Leverett, Tyler Smith, Arlene Beckles - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69530 > The history, votes, and amendments (235 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb132.md?full=1