---
title: SB 10. Superior Courts of the Alapaha Judicial Circuit; additional judge; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb10
cite_as: SB 10, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb10
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb10.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb10/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69368
date: 2026-03-27
status: engrossed
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.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 1290
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb10.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 10
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-02-21
last_action: Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub As Amended
sponsors:
- Russ Goodman
- Brian Strickland
- Sam Watson
- Carden Summers
- John Kennedy
- Trey Kelley
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB10/2025
upstream_id: 1922239
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- superior courts
- judicial appointments
- county government funding
- court staffing
- Georgia court system
---
# SB 10. Superior Courts of the Alapaha Judicial Circuit; additional judge; provide
## Text
The House Committee on Rules offers the following substitute to SB 10:
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Title 15 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to courts, so as
provide for superior court judicial officers in certain judicial circuits; to provide for the
appointment, qualifications, terms, duties, and employment status of such judicial officers;
to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Title 15 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to courts, is amended by adding
a new Code section to Article 1 of Chapter 6, relating to general provisions regarding
superior courts, to read as follows:
"15-6-37.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in any judicial circuit of this state with 15
or more judges of the superior court, as provided for in Code Section 15-6-2, 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.
(b) In the event that a county or counties provide funding for judicial officers as provided
for in subsection (a) of this Code section, the chief judge of the circuit, after consulting
with a majority of the superior court judges in such circuit, may appoint qualified
individuals as judicial officers in the superior courts of such circuit. Judicial officers shall
have all of the qualifications provided for in Code Section 15-6-4 for superior court judges;
provided, however, that such judicial officers shall not be elected.
(c) Judicial officers appointed pursuant to this Code section shall have all powers and
duties of a judge of the superior court; provided, however, that judicial officers shall not
preside over any case or matter related to a serious violent felony as such term is defined
in Code Section 17-10-6.1, and provided, further, that the chief judge of a circuit, after
consulting with a majority of the superior court judges in such circuit, may place such
additional limitations on the use of such judicial officers in the circuit.
(d) Judicial officers appointed pursuant to this Code section shall be appointed to terms
not to exceed two years; provided, however, that a judicial officer may be reappointed to
succeed himself or herself.
(e) Judicial officers appointed pursuant to this Code section shall be employees of the
county or counties that make up the judicial circuit in which they are appointed. 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."
SECTION 2.
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 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.
### Plain-language summary
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 it 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.
## Status
- Status: Engrossed (2025-02-21)
- Last action: Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub As Amended (2026-03-27)
- Sponsors: Russ Goodman, Brian Strickland, Sam Watson, Carden Summers, John Kennedy, Trey Kelley
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69368
> The history, votes, and amendments (1,290 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb10.md?full=1