Georgia CommonsSB 10: Superior Courts of the Alapaha Judicial Circuit; additional judge; provide
Last action March 27, 2026 · Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub As Amended
A Senate bill, as rewritten by a House committee substitute, would let counties in Georgia's largest superior court circuits pay for extra appointed judicial officers to help handle caseloads, instead of adding an elected Alapaha circuit judge as originally proposed.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
The bill amends Georgia's court code (O.C.G.A. Title 15) to add a new section allowing county governments that fund a superior court circuit with 15 or more judges to pay for up to five additional judicial officers. These officers are not elected judges; they are appointed by the circuit's chief judge after consulting with a majority of the circuit's superior court judges. The judicial officers must meet the same qualifications as elected superior court judges and can exercise nearly all the same powers and duties, except they cannot preside over serious violent felony cases as defined in Georgia law. Their terms last up to two years and can be renewed. They are treated as county employees, not state employees, so the counties in the circuit are responsible for their pay, benefits, and expenses. As substituted by the House Committee on Rules, this version no longer creates the additional Alapaha circuit judge referenced in the bill's title; it instead creates this new statewide option for large circuits.
What the bill does
- Creates a new Georgia Code section allowing counties funding a superior court circuit with 15 or more judges to pay for up to five appointed judicial officers.
- Lets the circuit's chief judge appoint these officers after consulting a majority of the circuit's superior court judges, without requiring an election.
- Requires appointed judicial officers to meet the same qualifications as elected superior court judges under O.C.G.A. § 15-6-4.
- Bars judicial officers from presiding over serious violent felony cases as defined in O.C.G.A. § 17-10-6.1, though the chief judge can add further limits.
- Sets judicial officer terms at up to two years, renewable, and classifies them as county employees rather than state employees.
- Repeals any existing laws that conflict with the new provisions.
Who it affects
County governments and boards of commissioners in large superior court circuits (those with 15 or more judges), chief judges and superior court judges in those circuits, and the individuals appointed as judicial officers, who would be county employees rather than elected officials or state employees.
Why it matters
Large, busy superior court circuits could get extra help handling non-violent-felony caseloads without needing a new judgeship created and funded by the state or won through election, though the added cost of pay and benefits would fall on county governments rather than the state.
Key provisions
- Section 1 adds new Code Section 15-6-37, applying only to judicial circuits with 15 or more superior court judges as counted under O.C.G.A. § 15-6-2.
- Subsection (a) authorizes county governing authorities in such circuits to fund up to five judicial officers.
- Subsection (b) lets the chief judge appoint judicial officers after consulting a majority of the circuit's judges, and requires the same qualifications as elected judges but no election.
- Subsection (c) gives judicial officers the powers and duties of a superior court judge, except over serious violent felony cases, and lets the chief judge impose further restrictions.
- Subsection (d) limits appointments to renewable two-year terms.
- Subsection (e) makes judicial officers county employees, with counties responsible for their compensation, benefits, and expenses.
- Section 2 repeals conflicting laws.
From the bill
“the governing authorities of the counties that make up such circuit are authorized to provide funding for up to five judicial officers to serve in the superior courts of such circuit”
“Such judicial officers shall not be considered state employees for any reason, and the counties that make up such circuit shall be responsible for the compensation, benefits, travel, and other expenses for such judicial officers”
Status timeline
- Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub As Amended (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
- Senate Third Read (Senate)
Show full history (14 actions)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
- Senate Recommitted (Senate)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)
- Brian Strickland (R, SD-042)
- Sam Watson (R, SD-011)
- Carden Summers (R, SD-013)
- John Kennedy (R, SD-018)
- Trey Kelley (R, HD-016)
Votes
- Senate voteFebruary 21, 2025
49 yea, 0 nay (6 not voting, 1 absent)
- House voteApril 4, 2025
161 yea, 7 nay (4 not voting, 8 absent)
- Senate voteMarch 27, 2026
38 yea, 7 nay (2 not voting, 7 absent)
Topics
- superior courts
- judicial appointments
- county government funding
- court staffing
- Georgia court system