Welcome to Georgia's court system [2012]

Probate CourtB Juvenile CourtB
Court of
Appeals
supreme
Court

rrial Courts
Different courts are set up to do different things. Georgia's courts hear cases based on the subject matter jurisdiction they are given, this may be broad or limited .
MUNICIPAL courts, or city courts, hear cases that involve violations of city ordinances. A small claims case would be hoord in tho MAGISTRATE court. A person looking to obtain a marriage license would go to the PROBATE court. In many counties,
traffic cases are heard by the STATE
court. Cases involving children, those under the age of 18, are dealt with in tho JUVENILE court. Felony and divorce cases are heard in SUPERIOR court.
Some general jurisdiction trial courts hear appeals from limited jurisdidion courts.
Appellate Courts
The COURT OF APPEALS OF GEORGIA and the SUPREME COURT OF GEORGIA review cases tried in the state's limited jurisdiction courts.
The State Judicial Building in Atlanta houses courtrooms for both appellate courts.

MUNICIPAL COURTS
VlalGtiona of city ordlnanca tasuonce of crlmlnol worn1nts Preliminary hllGrings '!nlfllc ialatlons within city Pmlt&
350 courts In Georgia cities

Small claims ($15,000 or less) Minor criminal offenses County ordinance violations Preliminary hearings Arrest & search warrants Check fraud 159 courts, each county has
a magistrate court
'

Wills, administration of estates appointment of guardians,
involuntGry hospitGlizatlons
Marriage o.nd firearm licensing Traffic in some counties 159 courts, each county
as a probate court

Delinquent juveniles under age 17 Deprived, unruly juveniles under
age 18 Juvenile tro.ffic cases 159 courts, each county has a
juvenile court

Georgia's courts of review are set up to correct legal errors or errors of law made at the trial level. No trials are held at the appellate level - instead, judges review written records and briefs and hear oral arguments from attorneys.

COURT OF APPEALS
Appellate jur isdiction over lower courts in cases in which Supreme Cour t has no exclusi ve appellate j urisdiction
12 Judges, 4 panels of 3 j udges

SUPREME COURT
Reviews cases involving: Death Penalty Divorce Constit utiona lity of law Treaties Wills COURT OF LAST RESORT 7 j ustices

Judge
.d over coses pres1 e~kes rulings
onom, n ev1 >0 ence boseo o d renders presente ' e cases. ~ero>tc1s in som

Attor1te1f

represents the interest ol o client in o cose.

PROSECUTORS
(District Attorney or Solicitor} Acts on behalf of the state In prosecuting those believed
to have broken the law.

PLAINTIFF'S ATTORNEY
.Advocates for a person who brings a case to
civil court.

DEFENSE ATTORNEY
Advocates for persons accused of committing a crime or respondent in a civil case. Indigent defendants, those with
limited financial resources, may be eligible for a
PUBLIC DEFENDER .

e court.
~~~
provides security for courthouse ond mointoins order in courtroom.
Co11rt-
~e~f:~Z~
trials or in depositions.

Call.d Clerk
preserves ond mointains the records of the court.
.,a,;~,,.
~
b1:,~1\

TlteJ11r1f
Citizens are sometimes called upon to serve on juries on both criminal and civil trials. The juryS responsibility is to listen to testimony and arguments made by each side in a case. The jury must determine guilt (criminal trial) or liability (civil trial) and pass sentence, if appropriate.

Georgia's Court System

Tltro11glt Its roles of!11te1JJretl11g lt1w, t1d#fl11lsten'/fg justice, t111d reg11/t1tl11g dls111tes, cjeorglt1's J11dlclt1/ Brt111clt serves tlte stt1te dt1lllf,

~ veryday our lives are affected by
I-. the business that is conducted
throughout the judicial branch. The decisions that are made, both at the trial court and appellate levels, impact the citizens of Georgia.

et few citizens are familiar with
/ the basic functions and responsibilities of the state's courts, the
judges who preside in them, and the various professionals who work to ensure the business of the judiciary is fairly and efficiently carried out.

Did "/OH /(How?

T here are two levels of court in
I Georgia: TRIAL COURTS and
APPELLATE COURTS. Each

I[; eorgia's
't and

court'sjurisdiction -

the power to hear and determine a case -

is outlined in the state's

constitution.

Judicial Circuits
For purposes of administration in the Superior and Juvenile courts, the state of Georgia is divided into 49 Judicial Circuits. Each circuit is made up of at least one county. Some circuits are made up of many counties.
About Your Circuit
Use the state map at right to answer these questions:
I live in the _ _ _ _ _ Circuit.

Walker

Cono1C11u90
WHtAeld Murr't:r{

Gordon

Towns

Rabun

Union

mounloin

laoloh
White Lunpkin

\.
' \ Stephens

n
noithHll4P

II

Hall

f:~11

GwinMtt

Cl l -

IIOH
In

'!J, Walton

~.11...,,

ewton

Oomul9
Jaspu Putnam

Monroe

Jones

Baldwin

Washington

There are _ _ _ _ _ counties in my Circuit. How many Circuits have only one county?_ _

Talbot
ChaHochoochee

B;bb
-Crawford

Taylor

Peach

Which Circuit has the most counties?_ _ __
Macon

Why are there Judicial Circuits?
Originally judges would "ride the circuit" a wide area made up of many counties visiting each county seat to hear cases.

Stewart County Courthouse'

Schley

Stewart

Sumter

_ _._.--"'"''"1oulh111e,lern

Dooly

Pulaski

Wilcox
Crisp Conl4PI

Terrell

Lu

Randolph

BEnHill

Webster County Courthouse

Worth

ffAan
"TTft

Berrien

How are Circuits Named?
Circuit names come from many sources: many are named for a county within the circuit while others are named for rivers or other landmarks. Many have names derived from Native American culture.

Lee County Courthouse

Mitcht.11

loutll GNr9lo

llw>tui-

Grody

Colquitt

Cook

....... ,.

Thomas

Brooks

Lanier Lowndes

J'enkins

c.ndl<r

Bulloch

t
"{I., Toombs
~

Tattnall

Appling

Long

Brun,wlck
Wayne

f:Xecutive Ncf71Ch
About Your Courthouse
The courthouse for my county is located in: _ _ _ _ _ _ __ It was built in this year: _ _ _ __ Its architectural style is: _ _ _ _ _.
Need help answering these questions? Take a look at the Cart Vinson I115tltute\ Hl$hlrlclll Atlas of Georgia Counties webpage: http://georglalnfo.gallleo.usg.edu/hlstcountymcips/lndec.htm

upreme Court justices, Georgia's judges come from all walks of life. Many of the men and women serve on the bench are native Georgians. Others have moved here from different states or from countries. The justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia (below} illustrate how diverse
ia's judges are.

Justica Hugh P. fho111psot1
Has been ajudge since 1971 Appointed to the Supreme Court in 1994

Justica P. Harris Hines
Earned law degree from Emory Native of Atlanta

Judge Pavld E. Nahtttlas
1982 Georgia STAR Student

Superior Court: State Court: Juvenile Court:

Probate Court: Magistrate Court: Municipal Court:

Judicial Selection

A person can become a judge in one of two ways: APPOINTMENT or ELECTION.

APPOINTMENT - The Governor may appoint a qualified candidate to fill a vacancy on the appellate courts, superior court, or state court. To remain on the bench, an appointed judge must run for the office in future elections.
ELECTION - A sitting judge must run for re-election at the end of each term of office. Challengers may run against the incumbent for the seat. If a judge is retiring at the end of a term, the seat is considered "open," and a new judge will be elected from the announced candidates.

JudtctEJl E]ect1011s
Most judges in Georgia run for office in elections that are nonpartisan, meaning candidates are not affiliated with any political party.
Justices of the Supreme Court and judges of the Court of Appeals are elected to six-year terms. Judges of the Superior, State, Probate, and Magistrate courts serve four-year terms.

What Po Judges Po?

Newly appointed gubernatorial
appointees are sworn-in by the
Governor.

The judge's role in a TRIAL COURT is to review and determine relevance of evidence as it is presented. During a BENCH TRIAL, the judge hears evidence then determines guilt and sentencing.
APPELLATE JUDGES must review materials from cases that have been tried in the trial courts and determine if procedural errors have occurred and if a new trial is warranted.