---
title: O.C.G.A. § 15-5B-5. Eligibility for judgeship; oath of office; limitations.
collection: code
id: 15-5B-5
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 15-5B-5 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-5B-5
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-5B-5.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-5B-5/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t15-ch1-11a-(v13)-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=9c57686b_0#page=23
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md
version: For effective date, see note.
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: COURTS / TAX COURTS
---

# O.C.G.A. § 15-5B-5. Eligibility for judgeship; oath of office; limitations.

(a) Each court judge shall be a citizen of the United States and, during the period of service, a resident of this state. No individual shall be appointed as court judge unless at the time of appointment the individual is an attorney licensed to practice in this state and has practiced primarily in the area of tax law for at least eight years.

(b) Before entering upon the duties of office, each court judge shall take and subscribe to an oath or affirmation that he or she shall faithfully discharge the duties of the office, and such oath shall be filed in the office of the Secretary of State.

(c) Each court judge shall devote his or her full time during business hours to the duties of the court. A court judge shall not engage in any other gainful employment or business that interferes with or is inconsistent with his or her duties as judge and shall not hold another office or position of profit in a government of this state, any other state, or the United States.

## History

Code 1981, § 15-5B-5, enacted by Ga. L. 2024, p. 888, § 1-2/HB 1267, effective January 1, 2025.

## Editor's Notes

For information as to the effective date of this Code section, see the effective date note at the beginning of this chapter.