---
title: O.C.G.A. § 15-7-20. Number of and work status of judges determined by local law; elections.
collection: code
id: 15-7-20
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 15-7-20 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-7-20
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-7-20.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-7-20/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t15-ch1-11a-(v13)-2020-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=d8a8826c_0#page=393
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.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-7.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-7-5.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-7-21.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md
version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: COURTS / STATE COURTS OF COUNTIES / JUDGES
---

# O.C.G.A. § 15-7-20. Number of and work status of judges determined by local law; elections.

(a) The General Assembly shall by local law establish the number of judges for each state court and shall establish whether the judge or judges shall be full-time judges or part-time judges.

(b) Judges of the state court shall be elected by the qualified electors of the county or counties in which the court is located, shall be elected on a nonpartisan basis as provided by law, and shall serve for a term of four years.

(c) Elections shall be held at the general election in the year in which the incumbent’s term expires, and judges so elected shall take office on the first day of January following such election. The judges of the state courts shall be commissioned by the Governor and, before entering office, shall take the same oaths which judges of the superior courts must take.

## History

Code 1981, § 15-7-20, enacted by Ga. L. 1983, p. 1419, § 2.