HB 1407: Civil Practice Act; scheduling of civil trials; provide

Under current Georgia law, civil trials (including divorce cases) can generally be scheduled any time after defensive pleadings are due and after time for discovery. This bill changes that for non-divorce civil cases: they can only be placed on a trial calendar after the judge has ruled on all pending dispositive motions or the deadline for filing them has passed. The bill also adds detailed new procedures for scheduling jury trials in non-divorce civil cases. Trial calendars must be filed electronically at least 120 days before the trial session, can list no more than 30 cases, and can only span three weeks. Parties must file joint reports about witness locations and settlement likelihood, judges must issue an updated calendar ranking cases for trial, and specific notice periods apply before a case can be called out of order. Rules also address stipulated continuances and what happens when an attorney has multiple cases on the same or overlapping calendars.

• Delays when non-divorce civil cases can be placed on a trial calendar until after the judge rules on dispositive motions (motions that can end a case before trial) or the filing deadline passes.
• Requires trial calendars for jury cases to be filed and served electronically at least 120 days before the trial session begins.
• Caps each trial calendar at 30 cases and limits the trial period covered by a single calendar to three weeks.
• Requires parties to file a joint report on witness locations, case complexity, trial length estimates, and settlement likelihood within 14 days of receiving the trial calendar.
• Requires judges to issue an updated calendar ranking the order cases will be tried, with different rules for cases involving out-of-area witnesses.
• Sets rules for continuances, notice before calling a case out of order, and priority when an attorney has multiple cases on the same or nearby calendars.

Civil litigants and their attorneys in Georgia's state and superior courts, trial court judges and court clerks who manage dockets, and parties or witnesses who live far from the courthouse where a case will be tried. Divorce and other domestic relations cases are explicitly excluded from the new jury trial scheduling rules.

Civil cases would take longer to reach a trial calendar because dispositive motions must be resolved first, and once scheduled, cases would follow a much more structured, deadline-driven process with set notice periods, reports, and calendar caps, changing how quickly and predictably civil disputes get resolved.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 9-11-40(a) so all civil (non-divorce) cases may only be triable after dispositive motions are ruled on or their filing deadline passes.
• New subsection (d) limits trial calendars to 30 actions and a three-week trial window, and requires electronic filing and service at least 120 days before the trial session.
• New subsection (d) requires a pretrial conference if requested, automatic continuance if pretrial rulings aren't issued in time, and a joint proposed pretrial order at least seven days before trial.
• New subsection (e) requires a joint party report within 14 days on witness residency, case complexity, trial length, and settlement likelihood.
• New subsection (e) requires judges to issue an updated calendar within 30 days setting the trial order, with special scheduling for cases involving out-of-state or distant witnesses.
• New subsection (e) sets notice requirements (at least seven days for out-of-order calls, 24 hours for later cases) and priority rules when an attorney has multiple pending trials.
• Section 2 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-02-25House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-02-24House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-20House Hopper (House)

• Rob Leverett (R, HD-123)Primary sponsor
• Joseph Gullett (R, HD-019)
• Matt Reeves (R, HD-099)
• Stan Gunter (R, HD-008)

• civil court procedure
• trial scheduling
• Civil Practice Act
• court calendars
• litigation rules