Who's @ the Courthouse
The complex nature of the state's judicial system requires the expertise of many professionals whose roles are essential for the judiciary to function efficiently and properly. Here are a few of those professionals you are likely to encounter at your county courthouse.

Judge pvabrepenarrsddesiediscmedetnssaotkioennedvsese;ovrrrmiuedclnaeiendsngceecassresses.

C rt Adminis at manages the business and daily operations of the court
Sh iff's Deputy
provides security for courthouse and maintains order in courtroom.

A ney
represents the interest of a client in a case.

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.

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C rt Cl k
preserves and maintains the records of the court.

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

Cynthia H. Clanton, Director Administrative Office of the Courts 244 Washington Street, SW, Suite 300 Atlanta, GA 30334

Georgia's Court System 2018

Welcome to
Georgia's Court System

Through its roles of interpreting law, administering justice, and regulating disputes, Georgia's Judicial Branch serves the state daily.

E very day our lives are affected by 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.

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

Did You Know?

T here are two levels of court in Georgia: TRIAL COURTS and APPELLATE COURTS. Each court's jurisdiction -- the power to hear and determine a case -- is outlined in the state's constitution.

G eorgia's courts hear both criminal and civil cases. Criminal proceedings are brought against those who are believed to have broken the law; civil matters involve disputes between individuals or corporations.

Find out more about your court system inside!!

What Do
Municipal Courts Magistrate Courts
Probate Courts Juvenile Courts
State Courts Superior Courts

The Courts

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Trial Courts
Different courts are set up to do different things. Georgias courts hear cases based on the subject matter jurisdiction they are given, this may be broad or limited.
MUNICIPAL courts are city courts. MAGISTRATE courts are sometimes referred to as "small claims courts." PROBATE courts are where estates are processed and wills probated. JUVENILE courts hear cases involving delinquency and child welfare (abuse and neglect) cases. STATE courts handle misdemeanor criminal, traffic, and civil cases. SUPERIOR courts handle felony criminal, family law, and other civil cases.

Some general jurisdiction trial courts hear appeals from limited jurisdiction courts..

Do?
MUNICIPAL COURTS
Violations of city ordinances Issuance of criminal warrants Preliminary hearings Traffic violations in city limits 370 courts.

MAGISTRATE COURTS
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.

PROBATE COURTS
Wills, administration of estates appointment of guardians, involuntary hospitalizations
Marriage & weapons carry licensing Traffic in some counties 159 courts, each county
has a probate court.

Trial Courts

JUVENILE COURTS
Delinquent juveniles under age 18 Child in need of services, abused,
neglected, emancipation proceedings Juvenile traffic cases 159 courts, each county has a
juvenile court.

STATE COURTS
Misdemeanor violations traffic & civil actions
Felony preliminary hearings Review limited jurisdiction
court decisions 71 counties have state courts.

SUPERIOR COURTS
Felonies Divorce proceedings Title to land, equity Juveniles who commit serious
felonies Correct errors from county courts 159 courts, each county has a
superior court.

Why

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

Appeal? appellate level -- instead, judges review written records and briefs and hear oral arguments from attorneys.

Court of Appeals Supreme Court

} Appellate Courts The COURT OF APPEALS OF GEORGIA and the SUPREME COURT OF GEORGIA review appeals of decisions in the states trial courts.
The State Judicial Building in Atlanta houses courtrooms for both appellate courts.

Appellate Courts

COURT OF APPEALS
Appellate jurisdiction over lower courts in cases in which the Supreme Court has no exclusive appellate jurisdiction
15 judges, 5 panels of 3 judges

SUPREME COURT
Reviews cases involving: Death Penalty and murder Constitutionality of law Treaties Election Contests COURT OF LAST RESORT 9 justices

Georgia's Court System

Just like the United States government, Georgia has three branches of government -- Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. "The Third Branch," as the judiciary is often called, is an equal participant in the checks-and-balances system of government.

Judicial Circuits

Dade

Catoosa

Lookout Conasauga

Mountain Whitfield Murray

Walker

Fannin

Union

Towns

Appalachian
Gilmer

Enotah
White

Lumpkin

Hambersham

Rabun
Mountain
Stephens

Each branch of government has its particular function. The Legislative Branch makes laws. The Executive Branch makes sure the laws are being followed. The Judicial Branch interprets the laws.

Judicial Branch

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

Chattooga
Rome
Floyd

Gordon
Cherokee
Bartow

Pickens

Dawson
Northeastern Banks

Blue Ridge Bell-

Hall

Cherokee

Forsyth
Forsyth

Jackson

Fulton

Piedmont

Franklin

Hart

Northern

Madison

Elbert

Morgan County Courthouse

Executive Branch

Legislative Branch

one county. Some circuits are made up of many counties.

Tallapoosa

Cobb

Gwinnett Barrow

Clarke Oglethorpe

Greene County Courthouse

Clayton RRocokcdakledale
Montgomery

Ab t Y r C cuit

Polk Haralson

Paulding Cobb Paulding

Carroll

DDoouuglgaslasAtlanta

Gwinnett

Stone Mtn.
DeKalb

Walton
Alcovy

Clayton

Newton

Fayette

Henry

Western
Oconee

Morgan

Greene

Wilkes

Lincoln

Toombs

Taliaferro Warren

McDuffie

Columbia

Coweta

Flint

Ocmulgee
Jasper

Hancock

Richmond

Heard
Coweta

Spalding
Griffin

Butts

Putnam

Glascock

Augusta

Pike

Lamar Monroe

Baldwin

Jefferson

Burke

Troup

Meriwether

Jones
Towaliga

Washington

Upson

Bibb

Wilkinson

Harris

Talbot

Chattahoochee

Muscogee

Chattahoochee Marion

Crawford
Macon

Taylor

Peach

Twiggs
Dublin

Macon

HHoouustsotnon Bleckley

Laurens

Johnson

Middle
Emanuel

Jenkins

Treutlen

Candler

Hancock County Courthouse

Screven
Ogeechee

Bulloch

Effingham

Courthouses
Each of Georgias 159 counties has a courthouse located in the city that serves as its county seat. While many counties have built new facilities in

Stewart County Courthouse
Stewart

Schley
Sumter
WebsterSouthwestern

Dooly

Pulaski

Wilcox
Crisp Cordele

Dodge

Wheeler

Oconee

Telfair

Toombs

Evans

Tattnall

Bryan
Atlantic

Eastern
Chatham

Liberty

recent years, some of the courthouses around the state were built in the 1800s and are still being used.

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

Webster County Courthouse Lee County Courthouse

Quitman

Terrell

Lee

Randolph

Clay

Calhoun

Dougherty
Dougherty

Early

Pataula

Baker

Miller

Mitchell

Turner
Tifton
Worth

Ben Hill Irwin

Jeff Davis

Appling
Brunswick

Coffee

Bacon

Wayne

Tift

Colquitt

Berrien

Atkinson

Cook

Alapaha

Pierce
Waycross
Ware

Brantley

Lanier

Seminole

South Georgia

Decatur

Grady

Southern

Thomas

Brooks

Lowndes

Clinch

Charlton

Long McIntosh
Glynn
Camden

Echols

Ab t Y r C rth se

names derived from Native American place names.

Need help answering these questions? Take a look at the Carl Vinson Institute's Historical Atlas of Georgia Counties webpage: http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/histcountymaps/index.htm

Who Are Georgia's Judges? There are approximately 1,500 judges that serve the State of Georgia. From municipal court judges

to Supreme Court justices, Georgias judges come from all walks of life. Many of the men and women

who serve on the bench are native Georgians. Others have moved here from different states or from

other countries. The Justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia bench (below) illustrate how diverse Georgias judges are.

Judicial Selection

Justice David Nahmias

1982 Georgia STAR High School Student. Justice Michael Boggs

Former Federal Prosecutor.
Justice Keith Blackwell

Served as Rep. in the GA General Assembly.

Founded Waycross Judicial Circuit

Former Prosecutor/Court of Appeals Judge.

Drug Court.

UGA Graduate.

Justice Nels Peterson

Justice Britt Grant

Earned J.D. from

Worked in the

Harvard Law.

White House.

Served as GA's first

Graduated from

Solicitor General.

Stanford Law.

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.

Judicial Electi s
Most judges in Georgia run for office in elections which are nonpartison, 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.

Justice Carol

Photograph by Jim Holmes

Hunstein

First woman superior

court judge in

DeKalb County. Enjoys gardening.

Presiding Justice Harold Melton
Born in Washington, D.C.

First African-American Student Body

President at Auburn.

ChiefJustice P. Harris Hines
Earned Law Degree from Emory. Native of Atlanta.

Justice Robert Benham
First African-American on GA's Supreme Court.
Graduated from Tuskegee, UGA & University of VA.

Who Are Yr
Judges?

Superior Court: State Court: Juvenile Court:

Probate Court: Magistrate Court: Municipal Court:

What Do Judges Do?

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

The judges 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.