--- title: HB 625. Fulton County; State Court; provide additional judge collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb625 cite_as: HB 625, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb625 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb625.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb625/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70802 date: 2025-05-13 status: passed 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/hb624.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb626.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 884 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb625.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 625 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-05-13 last_action: Effective Date 2025-05-13 sponsors: - Deborah Silcox - Esther Panitch - Phil Olaleye - Kim Schofield - Betsy Holland - Bryce Berry text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB625/2025 upstream_id: 1985859 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Fulton County courts - state court judges - judicial elections - local government law --- # HB 625. Fulton County; State Court; provide additional judge ## Text 25 LC 47 3315/AP House Bill 625 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representatives Silcox of the 53rd, Panitch of the 51st, Olaleye of the 59th, Schofield of the 63rd, Holland of the 54th, and others A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend an Act creating a State Court of Fulton County by cons olidation of the existing1 Civil Court of Fulton County and the Criminal Court of Fulton County, approved March 24,2 1976 (Ga. L. 1976, p. 3023), as amended, particularly by an Act approved March 24, 19943 (Ga. L. 1994, p. 3944), and by an Act approved May 14, 2003 (Ga. L. 2003, p. 3518), so as4 to provide an additional judge for the State Court of Fulton Co unty; to provide for the5 appointment of the initial additional judge and the election of successors; to provide for terms6 of office of said additional judge and successors to such judge; to provide for the powers and7 privileges of said additional judge; to provide for the compens ation and expenses of said8 additional judge; to provide for related matters; to repeal con flicting laws; and for other9 purposes.10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:11 SECTION 1.12 An Act creating a State Court of Fulton County by consolidation of the existing Civil Court13 of Fulton County and the Criminal Court of Fulton County, approved March 24, 1976 (Ga.14 L. 1976, p. 3023), as amended, particularly by an Act approved March 24, 1994 (Ga. L.15 H. B. 625 - 1 - 25 LC 47 3315/AP 1994, p. 3944), and by an Act approved May 14, 2003 (Ga. L. 200 3, p. 3518), is amended16 by adding at the end of subsection (b) of Section 6 a new paragraph to read as follows:17 "Two additional judges are added to the State Court of Fulton County, thereby increasing18 to 12 the number of judges of said court. Such judges shall be appointed by the Governor19 as soon as practicable after the effective date of this Act for a term beginning on the date20 of such appointment and expiring December 31, 2026, and until successors are elected and21 qualified. Successors to the initial judges shall be elected in a manner provided by law for22 the election of judges of the state courts of this state at the nonpartisan general election in23 May 2026, for a term of four years beginning on January 1, 2027, and until their successors24 are elected and qualified. They shall take office on January 1 following the date of the25 election. Such elections shall be held and conducted in a manner provided for by law for26 the election of judges of the state courts of this state. Said additional judges shall have and27 may exercise all powers, duties, dignity, jurisdiction, privile ges, and immunities of the28 present judges of the State Court of Fulton County. The compen sation, salary, and29 contingent expense allowances of said additional judges shall b e the same as that of the30 other judges of the State Court of Fulton County. Any salary su pplements heretofore31 enacted by Fulton County shall also be applicable to the additional judges provided for in32 this Act."33 SECTION 2.34 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.35 H. B. 625 - 2 - ## 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 625 adds two more judges to the State Court of Fulton County, raising its bench from ten to twelve judges, with the Governor appointing the first ones and voters electing successors in 2026. ### Plain-language summary The State Court of Fulton County currently has ten judges under the 1976 law that created it by merging the county's old Civil Court and Criminal Court. This bill amends that law to add two more judgeships, bringing the total to twelve. The Governor would appoint the initial two judges as soon as practical after the law takes effect, and those appointees would serve until December 31, 2026. Successors would then be chosen in the nonpartisan general election in May 2026, serving four year terms starting January 1, 2027. The new judges get the same powers, jurisdiction, and pay as the court's existing judges, including any local salary supplements Fulton County has approved for the other judges. ### What it does - Adds two new judgeships to the State Court of Fulton County, increasing the total number of judges from ten to twelve. - Directs the Governor to appoint the initial two judges as soon as practical after the law takes effect, serving until December 31, 2026. - Requires successors to those initial judges to be elected at the May 2026 nonpartisan general election for four year terms starting January 1, 2027. - Grants the new judges the same powers, duties, jurisdiction, and immunities as the court's current judges. - Gives the new judges the same compensation, salary, and expense allowances as other State Court of Fulton County judges, including any county salary supplements. ### Who it affects Fulton County residents and litigants who use the State Court of Fulton County, the two new judges and candidates who may run for the seats in 2026, the Governor who makes the initial appointments, and Fulton County government, which funds judicial salaries and supplements. ### Why it matters Adding two judges could let the State Court of Fulton County handle more cases and potentially reduce backlogs or wait times for civil and criminal matters. It also creates two new elected judicial offices that Fulton County voters will decide in the 2026 nonpartisan election. ### Key provisions - Section 1 amends Section 6(b) of the 1976 Act creating the State Court of Fulton County to add two judgeships, increasing the total to twelve. - The Governor appoints the initial two judges as soon as practical after the effective date, with terms expiring December 31, 2026. - Successors are elected at the nonpartisan general election in May 2026 for four year terms beginning January 1, 2027. - The new judges receive the same powers, jurisdiction, privileges, and immunities as the court's other judges. - The new judges receive the same compensation, salary, and contingent expense allowances as other judges, including any existing Fulton County salary supplements. - Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-05-13) - Last action: Effective Date 2025-05-13 (2025-05-13) - Sponsors: Deborah Silcox, Esther Panitch, Phil Olaleye, Kim Schofield, Betsy Holland, Bryce Berry - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70802 > The history, votes, and amendments (884 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb625.md?full=1