---
title: O.C.G.A. § 17-7-20. Persons who may hold courts of inquiry.
collection: code
id: 17-7-20
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 17-7-20 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-7-20
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-7-20.md
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source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t17-(v15)-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=6c4dfdf8_0#page=70
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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version: the only printed version
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current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: CRIMINAL PROCEDURE / PRETRIAL PROCEEDINGS / COMMITMENT HEARINGS
---

# O.C.G.A. § 17-7-20. Persons who may hold courts of inquiry.

Any judge of a superior or state court, judge of the probate court, magistrate, or officer of a municipality who has the criminal jurisdiction of a magistrate may hold a court of inquiry to examine an accusation against a person legally arrested and brought before him or her. The time and place of the inquiry shall be determined by such judicial officer. Such judge may order the court of inquiry to be conducted by audio-visual communication between the accused, the court, the attorneys, and the witnesses.

## History

Orig. Code 1863, § 4611; Code 1868, § 4633; Code 1873, § 4730; Code 1882, § 4730; Penal Code 1895, § 906; Penal Code 1910, § 931; Code 1933, § 27-401; Ga. L. 1982, p. 493, §§ 1, 2; Ga. L. 1983, p. 884, § 3-19; Ga. L. 1996, p. 742, § 2; Ga. L. 2021, p. 423, § 1-8/HB 635.

## Amendments

The 2021 amendment, effective May 4, 2021, substituted the present provisions of this Code section for the former provisions, which read: “Any judge of a superior or state court, judge of the probate court, magistrate, or officer of a municipality who has the criminal jurisdiction of a magistrate may hold a court of inquiry to examine into an accusation against a person legally arrested and brought before him or her. The time and place of the inquiry shall be determined by such judicial officer. Should the county in which the offense is alleged to have been committed be a member of a regional jail authority created under Article 5 of Chapter 4 of Title 42, the ‘Regional Jail Authorities Act,’ the judge may order the court of inquiry to be conducted alternatively in the county in which the offense is alleged to have been committed or in facilities available at the regional jail or by audio-visual communication between the two locations and between the accused, the court, the attorneys, and the witnesses.”