---
title: HB 666. Clayton Judicial Circuit; superior courts; provide for a sixth judge
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb666
cite_as: HB 666, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb666
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb666.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb666/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70953
date: 2025-03-03
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-12
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: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb666.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 666
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-02-27
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
  - Demetrius Douglas
  - Yasmin Neal
  - Rob Leverett
  - Tyler Smith
  - Robert Flournoy
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB666/2025
upstream_id: 1987855
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - Clayton County courts
  - superior court judges
  - judicial appointments
  - Georgia court system
---

# HB 666. Clayton Judicial Circuit; superior courts; provide for a sixth judge

## Text

House Bill 666
By: Representatives Douglas of the 78th, Neal of the 79th, Leverett of the 123rd, Smith of the
18th, and Flournoy of the 74th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Code Section 15-6-2 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the
number of judges of superior courts, so as to provide for a sixth judge of the superior courts
of the Clayton Judicial Circuit; to provide for the appointment of such additional judge by
the Governor; to provide for the election of successors to the judge initially appointed; to
prescribe the powers of such judge; to prescribe the compensation, salary, and expense
allowance of such judge to be paid by the State of Georgia and the counties comprising said
circuit; to authorize the judges of such circuit to divide and allocate the work and duties
thereof; to provide for the manner of impaneling jurors; to provide for an additional court
reporter for such circuit; to authorize the governing authority of the counties comprising the
Clayton Judicial Circuit to provide facilities, office space, supplies, equipment, and personnel
for such judges; to declare inherent authority; to provide for related matters; to provide for
effective dates; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Code Section 15-6-2 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the number of
judges of superior courts, is amended by revising paragraph (5) as follows:
"(10) Clayton Circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <del>5</del> <ins>6"
</ins> SECTION 2.
One additional judge of the superior courts is added to the Clayton Judicial Circuit, thereby
increasing to six the number of judges of said circuit.
SECTION 3.
Said additional judge shall be appointed by the Governor for a term beginning
January 1, 2026, and continuing through December 31, 2028, and until his or her successor
is elected and qualified. His or her successor shall be elected in the manner provided by law
for the election of judges of the superior courts of this state at the nonpartisan judicial
election in 2028 for a term of four years beginning on January 1, 2029, and until his or her
successor is elected and qualified. Future successors shall be elected at the nonpartisan
judicial election every four years thereafter for terms of four years and until their successors
are elected and qualified. The newly elected and qualified judge shall take office on the first
day of January following the date of the election.
SECTION 4.
The additional judge of the superior courts of the Clayton Judicial Circuit shall have and may
exercise all powers, duties, dignities, jurisdiction, privileges, and immunities of the present
judges of the superior courts of this state. Any judge of the Clayton Judicial Circuit may
preside over any cause, whether in their own or in other circuits, and perform any official act
as judge thereof, including sitting on appellate courts as provided by law.
SECTION 5.
The qualifications of such additional judge and his or her successors shall be the same as are
now provided by law for all other superior court judges, and his or her compensation, salary,
and expense allowance from the State of Georgia and from the counties comprising the
Clayton Judicial Circuit shall be the same as are now provided by law for the other superior
court judges of such circuit. The provisions, if any, enacted for the supplementation by the
counties of such circuit of the salary of the judges of the superior courts of the Clayton
Judicial Circuit shall also be applicable to the additional judge provided for by this Act.
SECTION 6.
All writs and processes in the superior courts of the Clayton Judicial Circuit shall be
returnable to the terms of such superior courts as they are now fixed and provided by law,
or as they may hereafter be fixed or determined by law, and all terms of such courts shall be
held in the same manner as though there were but one judge, it being the intent and purpose
of this Act to provide six judges equal in jurisdiction and authority to attend and perform the
functions, powers, and duties of the judges of such superior courts and to direct and conduct
all hearings and trials in such courts.
SECTION 7.
Upon and after qualification of the additional judge of the superior courts of the Clayton
Judicial Circuit, the judges of such circuit may adopt, promulgate, amend, and enforce such
rules of practice and procedure in consonance with the Constitution and laws of the State of
Georgia as they deem suitable and proper for the effective transaction of the business of the
court; and, in transacting the business of the court and in performing their duties and
responsibilities, they shall share, divide, and allocate the work and duties to be performed by
each. In the event of a disagreement among the judges in respect hereof, the decision of a
majority shall control, or, in the absence of a majority, the decision of the chief judge shall
be controlling. The judges of the superior courts of the Clayton Judicial Circuit shall have
and are clothed with full power, authority, and discretion to determine from time to time and
term to term the manner of calling the dockets, fixing the calendars, and order of business
in such courts. They may assign to one such judge the hearing of trials by jury for a term and
the hearing of all other matters not requiring a trial by jury to the other judges, and they may
rotate such order of business at the next term. They may conduct trials by jury at the same
time in the same county or otherwise within such circuit, or they may hear chambers business
and motion business at the same time at any place within such circuit. They may provide in
all respects for holding the superior courts of such circuit so as to facilitate the hearing and
determination of all the business of such courts at any time pending and ready for trial or
hearing. In all such matters relating to the fixing, arranging for, and disposing of the
business of such courts and making appointments as authorized by law where the judges
thereof cannot agree or shall differ, the opinion or order of the chief judge as provided for
in this Act shall control.
SECTION 8.
The drawing and impaneling of all jurors, whether grand, petit, or special, may be conducted
by any of the judges of the superior courts of such circuit; and they, or any one such judge,
shall have full power and authority to draw and impanel jurors for service in such courts so
as to have jurors for the trial of cases before any such judges separately or before each of
them at the same time.
SECTION 9.
The judges of the superior courts of the Clayton Judicial Circuit shall be authorized and
empowered to appoint an additional court reporter for such circuit, whose compensation shall
be as now or hereafter provided by law.
SECTION 10.
All writs, processes, orders, subpoenas, and any other official paper issuing out of the
superior courts of the Clayton Judicial Circuit may bear teste in the name of any judge of the
Clayton Judicial Circuit and, when issued by and in the name of any judge of such circuit,
shall be fully valid and may be heard and determined before the same or any other judge of
such circuit. Any judge of such circuit may preside over any case therein and perform any
official act as judge thereof.
SECTION 11.
Upon request of any judge of the circuit, the governing authorities of the counties comprising
the Clayton Judicial Circuit shall be authorized to furnish the judges of such circuit with
suitable courtrooms and facilities, office space, telephones, furniture, office equipment,
supplies, and such personnel as may be considered necessary by the court to the proper
functioning of the court. All of the expenditures authorized in this Act are declared to be an
expense of the court and payable out of the county treasury as such.
SECTION 12.
Except as expressly stated, nothing in this Act shall be construed to alter or repeal any
provision of any local Act relating to the Clayton Judicial Circuit. Nothing in this Act shall
be deemed to limit or restrict the inherent powers, duties, and responsibilities of superior
court judges provided by the Constitution and statutes of the State of Georgia.
SECTION 13.
This Act shall become effective for the purposes of appointing the additional judge upon its
approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval, and for all other
purposes on January 1, 2026.
SECTION 14.
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 666 would add a sixth superior court judge to the Clayton Judicial Circuit, with the Governor appointing the new judge to serve until a successor is elected in 2028.

### Plain-language summary

The Clayton Judicial Circuit, which covers Clayton County's superior courts, currently has five judges under Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 15-6-2). This bill would raise that number to six. The Governor would appoint the new judge to a term starting January 1, 2026 and running through December 31, 2028, after which a successor would be chosen in the 2028 nonpartisan judicial election for a regular four-year term.
The bill spells out that the new judge has the same powers, pay, and qualifications as the circuit's other judges, and that the judges can divide up caseloads, jury duties, and courtroom business among themselves. It also lets the circuit hire an additional court reporter and allows Clayton County's county governments to provide courtrooms, office space, and staff for the new judge. The change takes effect immediately for purposes of appointing the judge, and on January 1, 2026 for everything else.

### What it does

- Amends Georgia's law on the number of superior court judges (O.C.G.A. § 15-6-2) to raise the Clayton Judicial Circuit's judge count from five to six.
- Directs the Governor to appoint the new sixth judge for a term from January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2028.
- Requires the new judge's successor to be chosen in the 2028 nonpartisan judicial election and every four years after that.
- Gives the new judge the same powers, pay, and qualifications as the circuit's current superior court judges.
- Authorizes the circuit's judges to divide caseloads, set court calendars, and share jury-impaneling duties among themselves.
- Allows the circuit to appoint an additional court reporter and lets Clayton County's counties provide courtrooms, office space, and staff for the added judge.

### Who it affects

Residents and litigants in the Clayton Judicial Circuit's superior courts, the Governor (who makes the appointment), the sitting and future superior court judges of the circuit, county governments in the circuit that fund facilities and staff, and court reporters serving the circuit.

### Why it matters

Adding a sixth judge could speed up how quickly cases move through Clayton County's superior courts by spreading out caseloads. It also shapes how the new judgeship is filled: by gubernatorial appointment first, then by regular election, affecting who ultimately sits on that bench.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 15-6-2 to change the Clayton Circuit's judge count from 5 to 6.
- Section 3 sets the appointed judge's term from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2028, with a successor elected in 2028 for a four-year term.
- Section 4 gives the new judge full powers and jurisdiction equal to other superior court judges, including sitting on appellate courts.
- Section 5 sets the new judge's pay and qualifications equal to the circuit's other judges, including any county salary supplements.
- Section 7 lets the circuit's judges adopt rules for dividing work, with disputes resolved by majority vote or the chief judge.
- Section 9 authorizes appointment of an additional court reporter for the circuit.
- Section 11 authorizes county governments in the circuit to furnish courtrooms, office space, equipment, and personnel for the judges.
- Section 13 sets the effective date as immediate for appointing the judge, and January 1, 2026 for all other purposes.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2025-02-27)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2025-03-03)
- Sponsors: Demetrius Douglas, Yasmin Neal, Rob Leverett, Tyler Smith, Robert Flournoy
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70953

> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb666.md?full=1