--- title: HB 1571. Bryan County; State Court; revise terms collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb1571 cite_as: HB 1571, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1571 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1571.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1571/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74188 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1570.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1572.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 886 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1571.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 1571 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: - Ron Stephens - Jesse Petrea - Lehman Franklin text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1571/2025 upstream_id: 2135866 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Bryan County - state courts - court terms - local legislation - jury duty --- # HB 1571. Bryan County; State Court; revise terms ## Text House Bill 1571 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representatives Stephens of the 164th, Petrea of the 166th, and Franklin of the 160th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend an Act establishing the State Court of Bryan County (formerly the City Court of Pembroke), approved January 10, 1938 (Ga. L. 1937-38, Ex. Sess., p. 714), as amended, particularly by an Act approved April 9, 1996 (Ga. L. 1996, p. 4404), so as to revise the terms of said court; to provide for an effective date; 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 Bryan County (formerly the City Court of Pembroke), approved January 10, 1938 (Ga. L. 1937-38, Ex. Sess., p. 714), as amended, particularly by an Act approved April 9, 1996 (Ga. L. 1996, p. 4404), is amended by revising Section 11 as follows: "SECTION 11. The terms of said court for the trial and disposition of as criminal and civil business of whatever kind or nature of which said court has jurisdiction under the laws and Constitution of the State of Georgia shall be: (1) For criminal trials, four regular terms commencing on the second day of January and on the first day of April, July, and October of each year; and (2) For civil trials, monthly commencing on the first day of each month. At the January, April, July, and October terms a jury shall be summoned, and a jury may be summoned at such other times as in the discretion of the chief judge, or judges of the court collectively, as it may become necessary for the trial of cases pending in said court." SECTION 2. This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2026. SECTION 3. 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. A bill passed by the Georgia General Assembly would reset the court term schedule for the State Court of Bryan County, setting four criminal jury terms a year and monthly civil terms. ### Plain-language summary The State Court of Bryan County, originally created in 1938 as the City Court of Pembroke and later amended in 1996, operates on a schedule of set terms during which it hears criminal and civil cases. This bill rewrites Section 11 of that original law to establish a new term schedule for the court. Under the bill, criminal trials would be held in four regular terms each year, starting on January 2 and on the first day of April, July, and October. Civil trials would be held monthly, starting the first day of each month. A jury would be summoned for the January, April, July, and October terms, and the chief judge or judges could summon a jury at other times if needed for pending cases. The change would take effect July 1, 2026. ### What it does - Rewrites Section 11 of the 1938 Act creating the State Court of Bryan County to set new court terms. - Establishes four criminal trial terms per year, beginning January 2 and the first day of April, July, and October. - Sets civil trial terms to occur monthly, beginning the first day of each month. - Requires a jury to be summoned for the four criminal terms and allows judges discretion to summon juries at other times as needed. - Sets the effective date of the changes as July 1, 2026. ### Who it affects This bill affects Bryan County residents and litigants with cases in the State Court of Bryan County, the judges and staff of that court, local attorneys who practice there, and jurors who may be summoned for the court's criminal terms. ### Why it matters Changing when the court holds its criminal and civil terms affects how quickly cases move through the system in Bryan County, when jurors are called to serve, and how attorneys and litigants schedule their court business locally. ### Key provisions - Section 1 revises Section 11 of the original 1938 Act to set four annual criminal terms starting January 2, April 1, July 1, and October 1. - Section 1 also sets civil trials to occur monthly, beginning the first day of each month. - Section 1 requires juries to be summoned for the four criminal terms, with judges given discretion to call juries at other times if needed. - Section 2 sets the effective date as July 1, 2026. - Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-05-11) - Last action: Effective Date 2026-07-01 (2026-05-11) - Sponsors: Ron Stephens, Jesse Petrea, Lehman Franklin - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74188 > The history, votes, and amendments (886 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1571.md?full=1