Annual report on the work of the Georgia Courts, 1996

A
eport
Oil the J;1vl-k (~t the Georgia Courts
Judicial Council of Georgia Administrative Office of the Courts
July 1, 1995 . June 30, 1996

1996
July 1, 1995 - Jun e 30, 1996

Judi ci al Branch in Heview

Message from the Chief Justice

3

Fiscal Year 1996 Highlights

8

Appropriations

10

T he Co urts

Supreme Cour t

14

Court of Appeals

16

Sup erior Courts

18

State Courts

22

Juvenile Court s

25

Probate Court s

29

Magistrate Courts

35

Special Courts and Municipal Courts

39

Judici al Agencies

Judi cial Coun cil

40

Admini strative Office of the Courts

41

Board of Court Reportin g

47

Coun cil of Juvenile Court Judg es

48

Council of Magistrate Court Judges

50

Council of Probate Court Judges

50

Coun cil of State Court Judges

51

Council of Superior Cour t Clerks

52

Coun cil of Superior Court Judges

52

Georgia Commission on Disput e Resolution

54

Georgia Courts Automation Commission

55

Georgia Indigent Defense Council

56

Georgia Magistrate Court s Training Council

58

Georgia Municipal Courts Training Council

59

Georgia State-Federa l Judicial Council

61

Institute of Continuing Judi cial Edu cation

61

Judi cial Administrative Distri cts

64

Judi cial orninating Commission

64

Judi cial Qualifications Commission

65

Supreme Court Comm ission on Equality

68

Supreme Cour t Commission on Racial and Ethni c Bias

69

Judicial Appointm ents and Elec tions

71

Publ ished by the Judicial Council of Ceorgia and the Administrat ive Office of the Courts in compliance with OCGA 15-5-24 and by Order of the Supreme Court of Georgia da ted June 12, 1978. All rights reserved .
Judicial Council of Georgia . Administrative Office of the Courts 244 Washington Street, SW, Suite 550
Atlan ta , Georgia 3033 4-5900 (404) 656-517 1
Director, Robert L. Doss lr. S enior Communica tions Offic er, Billie Bolt on Editor, Na ncy K. Pevey
o Print ed on recycled paper.

- - - - - - - - - - Judicial Council of Georgia - -- - - - -- - June 1996

Chief Justi ce Rob ert Benham Chair Supre me Cour t Atlanta
Pr esiding Justi ce Norma n . . Fletcher Vice Chair Supre me Court Atlanta
Judge Gary B. Andrews Court of App eals Atlanta
Chief Judge Dor oth y T . Beasley Court of App eals Atlanta
Judge Joe C. Bish op econ d Di tri ct Administrative Judge
Daw s on
Judge Kelly R. Burke Pr esid ent -elect Counc il of Magistrate Court Judges Warner Robin s
Judge Dani el M. Coursey Jr.
Fourth District Administrative Judge Decatur
Judge St eph en E. Franzen Pr esid ent-elect Counc il of Juv enil e Court Judge Lawren ceville
Judge Richard S. Gault I inth District Administrative Judge Cum ming
Judge John E. Girardeau Pr esident-elect Counc il of Superior Court Judges Gain esvill e
Judge Kathlen e F. Gosselin Pr esid ent Council of State Court Judges G a i n esvill e
Judge William F. Grant T enth District Administrative Judge Elb erton

Judge George J. Hearn III Pr esident Counc il of Juv enil e Court Judges Monroe
Judge Isaac Jenrette Fifth District Administrative Judge Atlanta
Judge William F. L ee Jr. Sixth District Administrative Judge
lewnan
Judge Jeannette L. Little Pr esid ent-elect Counc il of State Court Judges LaGrange
Judge Walter 1. Matthews
Seventh District Administrative Judge Rom e
Judge H. Arthur McLane President Counc il of Su perior Court Judges Valdosta
Judge La Verne C. Ogl etree Pr esident Counc il of Probate Court Judges Gr eensboro
Judge Dan F. Pier ce President Counc il of Magi strate Court Judges Monroe
Judge Fl oyd E. Propst Pre ident-elect Coun cil of Probate Court Judges Atlanta
Judge William M. Towson Sr. Eighth District Administrative Judge Dublin
Senior Judge E. Mullins Whi snant Third District Administrative Judge Columbus
Judge Amanda F. Williams First District Administrative Judge B r u n swi ck

2

JfUDITCITAL BIRAI CH IT REVITEW

- - -- - -- - Message from the Chief Justice - - - - - - - -

Chief Justice Robert Benham made his second S ta te of the Judiciary Address to the Georgia General Assembly on January 17, 199 7. His remarks fo llow.

Introduction Lieutenant Govern or Howar d, Speak er Murphy, officers and mem bers of the
Senate and House, my colleagues on the Supreme Cour t, my colleagues on the Court of App eals, ladi es and gentlemen, it is a high honor and magnificent privilege to address thi s joint session and to report on the operation, the needs and the future plans of th e cour t system of thi s state.
I first cam e to th ese cham bers 30 year s ago. I came as one of the governo r's first int ern s. At that tim e, my chest swelled with prid e as I listened to an address being given from the well. Little did I kn ow, some 30 years lat er, I would be stan ding here deliverin g th e State of th e Jud iciary Address from that same well. It was mad e possible becau se cour ageous jud ges and legislat ors put prin ciple above politics and sought to make the American Dream a reality for all of our citizens.
T oday I am proud to report that while we in the judi ciar y are not with out our problems, th e state of th e ju diciary i good an d we are still in th e bu ines of ma king the American Dream a realit y for all of our citizens. Coopera tion anl ong judge is at an all-time high , and we tak e our oaths seriously to do justice to the rich and th e poor alik e. We realize th at our role as a cour t is to interp ret the law, but it is your role as the legislati ve body to mak e the law, and we are respectful of your role.
T his is my secon d appearance making the State of the Judi ciary Address, and I come toda y to express apprecia tion for your efforts on our behalf and to offer our support for th e sometimes difficult and oftentimes thankless task of publi c service. I come to express thanks for your providing us with a full complement of jud ges at the trial level and at th e appellate level. I also come to express appreciation for th e funding you have provided for the cour ts over the years an d th e spirit of cooperation and collegiality you ha ve shown us thr oughout the years.

Ac c o m p l i s h m e n t s Let me reflect bri efly on th e past year. Just last year we celebra ted
our sesquicentennial, 150 years exi tence of the Sup reme Court of Georgia. We celebra ted that sesquicentennial in the company of man y of our friends and lawyers throughout the state. We also celebrated that histor y with cour ts throughout the state, journ cying as far away as Louisville to celebra te tha t circuit's bicentennia l. It

Chief Justice Robert Benh am

3

shows th at here in Georgia, we ha ve been in th e busin ess of doin g justice for over two cent u ries.
We've hosted many meetin gs, nati onal and local meetings, to showcase th e accomplislunents of our cour ts. Even during th e Olympics, we kept our doors open . We kept th em open to show to th e world what we are doin g in Georgia in th e area of justi ce. We were pr oud of our court system, our pr ofessionalism, our au tomation and our case-managemen t pr ograms in thi s state. Just recentI y we invited many of you to come an d see your cour t system in operatio n because tile beauty of om court system, unlik e man y other countries, is th at we do om busin ess in public. Om doors swing open on welcom e hin ges.
Through out the year, we have put in pla ce some new procedures. We sough t to lessen th e delay in criminal pr oceedings by instituting new rul es in th e hab eas corp us area . We ar e proud of our judges, too. T hey are bett er educa ted, better trained and bett er qualified th an ever before in tile histo ry of thi s sta te . We tru ly believe tha t th ey are the best and th e bri ghtest. They are comm itted to th e rul e of law , concerned ab out all of ow' citizens and dedicated not only to prot ecting the rights of citizens, but also to protecting th e rights of victims of crime. T hey are also comm itted to providing an at mosp here wher e busin esses can thrive an d prosp er , to crea te jobs an d opportun ities for all of our citizens.
Let me give you a bri ef glim pse of some of th e legislation you might be pr esented with during thi s session. I will do so with out commen ting on any of tilat legislati on because from time to time th ese matters come to tile Su prem e Court for review, and we must be sure to k eep an open an d impartial mind . You will probably receive legislation concern ing th e com pensation commission, retirement parity betw een trial judges and appellate judges, change in th e com position of th e jury system, lessening th e tim e limits in death penalty appeals, recommendati on s for additions to th e COUlt of App eals, increasing tile divisions on th e Court of Appeal s, adding more categories in discr etionary appeals, in creasing com pensa tion for senior judges, changing th e pa y structure for court em ployees , limitation s on firearm possessions by convicte d crimi nals, an d increasing penalties for ju venil e offenders.
These matters will be brought to you at a time wh en om cour t system is busier than ever before. I come from an er a and from an area of tile state wh ere we went to court for entertainme nt. We wen t to cour t a fter th e cro ps were laid by to see wh at was going on in our community. T hat is no longer th e way tile courts are opera ted. It 's a full -time bu sin ess. It's an everyday busin ess, and oftentimes, it's an all-night bu sin ess in traffic courts and municipal courts throughout this sta te. Judges are bu sier th at ever before.
Co u r ts and society At th e Su pre me Court level in tile last three years th er e ha s been a 17 % increase
in om caseloa d an d a 38% increase in th e number of opinions that we have issu ed. The same is tru e of th e Cour t of App eals: their bu sin ess has inc reased . The same is true of th e superior courts o, f thi s state . Filings are at an all-time high , an d filings con tinue to increase as om population increases. Om sta te courts are busier th an ever before. The num bel' of filings is almost astrono mical in th e ju venil e courts. Just this past year, we have ha d 11 6,000 cases filed .

\Vhen I gr ew up , I don 't even remember on e child in my comm unity who ever went to juv enil e court. ow all of you know children who hav e gon e to juvenil e cour t and some who arc in detention. It is not enoug h to turn to the C01lJ1S to solve all of the problems of th e community; th e comm un ity itself ha s a responsibility. Parents mu st be willing to raise th eir children . Communities mu st be willing to tak e children in. If th ey com e to th e C01lJ1S, th ere is littl e we can provide for them , because courts can only give out tim e and give out fines. Oftentimes our children need some attention in th eir homes and in th eir communities.
All our courts are bu sy, and th ey wiII continue to be busy becau se th e public turns to us with alarming frequen cy to solve society's problems. The courts were not design ed to be a cure -all for society's problems. We wer e design ed to tak e th e extre me issu es. Now we mu st deal with th e ordinary and oft entimes mundane issues. We call on you to put into pla ce institutions in th e communities and require parents to be responsibl e for th eir chi ldre n.
We realiz e that th e systemic problems keep coming around and around and around, When we send youngst ers to jail for stealing hubcaps, th ey get an education on how to steal th e car . We mu st provide some vehicl e in th e comm unity to cut off thi s vicious cycle.
I remember wh en I first came to th e courts, my first death-penalty case . After th e exec ution, someone called me and sai d, "Do you remember that defendant ?"
I said, " No, he is just one among many on our death row. " The guy said, " You ought to rem ember him because his aunt came to your office wh en you wer e practi cing law ." I said, " Well, this defendant went by th e name of Mad Dog." He said , " Yes, but when he was in your office he went by the name of Little Mikey . " If you don 't provide a way to deal with the Littl e Mikeys th en you 'll have to deal with th e Mad Dogs of society. So I call on you to put in place tho se institutions to help am parents and to help famili es deal with am ch ildren. But you mu st also put in pla ce institutions to deal with tho se we hav e been unabl e to help within th e comm unity and remove th em from our com munity so that th ey wiII not be a menace to am society.
lnltlarives We have many progrmlls that arc carried out without fanfare or publicity. Our
Administrative Offic e of th e C01lJ1S helped with th e Commission on App ellate Courts. Our Judicial Council provides assistance as a forum for judges throughout th e st ate to help in filtering requests for judgeships and dividing circ uits throughout th e state . We appreciate yom creating th e Conunission on App ellate Courts. That commission ha s made a report. We submit it to you for yom considera tion.
We call on you to address th e critical issue of dom esti c violence. Em'lier thi s week , Govemor Miller highlighted th e need to curb family violen ce. Our Comrnissian on Family Violenc e works to develop a coordinate d response and com prehe n sive plan for addressing thi s typ e of violenc e. Family violen ce causes families to become dysfunctional and splintere d; it causes medical expenses to rise; it causes a loss of work and productivity; it ca uses decreased performance of our youngster s
5

in the schools, a nd it ca uses a host of other pr oblems too numerous to catalog, including a burden on our courts and even tually a burden on th e taxpayers. I encourage you to support efforts of the Family Violen ce Comm ission. We're tryin g to do our part in th e cour ts, We hav e created famil y violence task for ces through out this state, and we now have th em ill 39 of our 46 judicial circuits. We hope to have 100 % parti cipation by th e end of the year.
We ask you to give att enti on to th e ar ea of foster care. The advisory committee ha s just mad e its report , and we will be submitt ing it to you for your consideration . T hat report stresses bett er represent ation for th e parties and the need to move toward full-time juvenile COlU't jud ges in this state . It has work ed under the dir ection of one of our most ca pable trial jud ges, Jud ge Bryant Culpep per of the Macon Judi cial Circuit. If you ha ve any qu estions ab out that comm ission, feel free to call on us.
We appreciate your support of our Georgia Courts Autom ati on Comrni ion chaired by Jud ge Hilt on Fuller. We'r e excited ab out th e progress made in th e area of au tomation. I tak e pride in the fact th at my childre n call me a com puter geek, becau se those ar e the same children who said seven yea rs ago that I was afraid of computers . When th ey went to bed at night, I sneaked in an d learned on th eir computers becau se I could not ha ve twelve-year-old children embarrassin g a judge of th e appellat e courts of this state.
We now have information for you on om World Wide Web page. We hav e computers, tha nks to you, on the desk of every up erior COlU't judge in thi s state, an d by th e end of th e year we will ha ve every full-time state COlU't judge link ed to th e GO Network. We will link to the Intern et. We ar e making our Su preme Court opinion availa ble to th e world by way of th e Intern et. In Georgia, we are proud of our decision . We ar e pr oud of th e laws, and we are proud of our legislature. We are proud of th e accomplishment s that have been made in thi s state .
Thanks to you, our Commi ssion on Equality ha s been heralded as one of th e best in th e nati on . 0 longer do we look to Californ ia and ew York to set tile tren d in tenus of human relati ons. We can do a pretty good job of it ourselves right here in th e state of Georgia becau se we kn ow something ab out rai sing children and caring for famil y.
Our Substan ce Abuse Committee is one of th e best in th e nation , and other tares look to us for guidance. Our Institut e on Contin uing Judicial Ed uca tion and Commission on Professionali sm ar e in th e vanguard of activities in th e coun tr y. We insist and will con tinue to insist that our lawyers be competent, that th ey be civil, that th ey be cour teous, that th ey engage in comm uni ty service an d public service. Just this morning, we recogniz ed th e lawyer-l egisla tor members here so that everyone would kn ow that we are proud of our lawyers and tile sacrifice and th e service th ey give.
We ask you to give serious consideration to th e recommendation of th e Commission on Appellat e Courts as to increasing tile number of judges on the Cour t of App eals. a m Supreme Court has one of th e heavie t juri sdi ction of an y Supreme Cour t ill thi s count ry with 15 specific items being directly appealable to om Su preme Cour t. Our Cour t of Appeals is one of th e busiest Court s of App eals in th e country. We ask you to give th em relief, but not at the expense of tile Su preme Cour t
6

by shifting jurisdiction to us. It is help th ey need-not spreading of th e load with th e pr esent personn el.
We ask you to con ider th e needs of our superior courts, our state cour ts, our juvenile court s, our pr obat e cour t , our magi stra te cour ts, and our muni cipal courts. We have 29,000 lawyers in thi s state. We have 1,600 judges, and th e busin ess con tinues to increase.
Future projects We have several future projects we would like you to consider. One is creation
of a blu e-ribbon commission to look at th e cour t system to provide for th e future of th e courts, not just at the a pp ella te level bu t for all of the cour t in this state. We ask you to join with th e Su preme Court in creating such a commission mad e up of legislators, lawyers, exper ts and lay persons to tak e a long-range and com prehen sive look at our cour t system.
We ha ve decided to mak e our own responsible. Just recentl y, we received from th e Bar a recommendati on that lawyers be responsible for supporting their children- something kn own as th e "Dead-Bear Dads" bill. We plan to move on that matter expeditiously becau se we do not see lawyers as needin g any separ ate and distinct tr eatment when it comes to supporting their childre n .
We are tigh tening the requirement ' for th ose who seek to become lawyers. We have approv ed th e creation of a commission to look int o campaigning by those who seek judicial positions. T he Judi cial Qual ification Commission has appoint ed a panel to mak e reconun endations to that body and eventually to th e Suprem e Court. We realiz e that th e busin ess of th e law is not just the business of lawyers: it is also th e business of th e public. So, we are recomm ending to every judi cial circuit that th ey esta blish a citizens' advi sory comm ittee so th at citizens can inform th e courts about issues such as respect for the rul e of law , civility, access to justice, efficient operation of the cour t system, tim ely disposition of the court 's bu iness, protectin g th e rights of th e victims of crime, th e afforda bility of th e legal system, cour t services an d accountability. Ea ch cour t mu st be aware that it should be in the busin ess of solving problems. That's why cour ts were created.
We ar e gra teful for your understanding and your su pport. We ask that you em power th e commun ities to address problems and not leave th ose pr oblems for us to address in th e cour ts. We ask tha t during your deliberation you provide ad equ at e fun din g for th e court system, pr ovide a system that att ra cts qualified an d comm itted judges, pr ovide access to justice for all of our citizens, allow judges to exerc i e some discr etion as th ey ca rry out th eir duties, provide for a court system th at has three levels-one for th e tri al of cases, one for the correction of error, and a cour t of last resort.
We con tinue to solicit your suggestions on improving the court system. We look forward to working with you and maintaining the spirit of coopera tion, collaboration and collegiality. In the word s of my moth er , whenever we were faced with a difficult pr oblem : "Son, I rai sed you right, do th e best you can, but what ever you do, remem ber that I'v e got your back. "
T han k you very mu ch .
7

- - - - - - - - Fiscal Year 1996 Highlights - - -- - - - -
July 1995 Fiscal year begin s with jud icial branch budget of $78,54 9,681 in sta te funds.
August 1995 Nine judges from th e Czech Republic, one former member of th e Czech Suprem e Court and an official of th e Ministry of Ju stice visit Atlanta to ob serv e Georgia courts a t work. TIle Nati onal Center for State Courts spo nso red their ed uca tiona l program; it was fund ed through th e Partner s in Int ernational Educati on and Training. Chief Judge Dorothy T. Beasley, Court of Appeal s, hosts th e group a nd a rra nges training with the SUite Courts of Fulton and DeKalb Coun ties, th e Sta te Bar of Georgia, the Institute of Continuing Judi cial Edu cati on , the Administrative Office of th e Courts a nd othe rs.
September 1995 TIl e Sup re me Court Com miss ion on Racial and Ethnic Bias in the Court System presen ts the high cour t with a two-year study of the SUi te's judicial system . Th e com mission's 24 6 -page report, Let Justice Be Done: Equally, Fairly, and Impartially , conta ins a su mma ry of the investi gation s and inquiries mad e by the comm ission, the findin gs of the co nunission, and reconunendation s for cha nges a nd improvements in th e court system. Th e report is organized around seven ca tegories: Attitudes and Awar eness; Work Force Diver sity; Access to the Courts; Legal Representation for Person s Unable to Afford Priv at e Counsel; Crimina l Justice System; Juri es; and Ju venil e Ju stice. (Pl ease see page 69 for more information on the report .)
October 1995 U.S. Supreme Court Justice Huth Bad er Ginsb urg a ddresses the an nua l co nference of the lational Associati on of Wom en Ju dges in Atlan ta on Octob er 5-9. ea rly 23 0 nati on al a n d intern ati onal judges attend th e five-day meetin g cha ired by Georgia Sup reme Court Ju stic e Carol W. Hunst ein . Activities include ed uca tional sessions at TIle Carter Center , panel discu ssion s, and trips to local a tt rac tions such as the Atlanta History Center, CNN, the Martin Luther King Jr. Cen ter and Unde rgro und Atlanta .
Ch ief Justi ce Robert Benham speaks a t the seco nd annua l sta tewide co nference of the Georgia Commiss ion on Family Violence held on Octob er 27 -28. Representatives from 24 of the 29 judicial circ uits with local famil y violence task forces, along with distri ct a tto rne ys, law enforce me nt pe rso nnel, judges and co nunission member s a re a mong the nearly 100 particip ants.
The U.S. J ustice Department a pp roves 24 existing sta te court judgeships a nd three new vacant position s, th er eb y rem oving any qu estion of a Vot ing Righ ts Act violation when the judges hips were crea ted.
November 1995 The Advisory Conuni ttee of the Child Placem ent Pr oceedings Pr oject meets in conjunc tion with the Council ofJuv enil e Courd udges. Preliminary research data on child placem ent is presented by Nati onal Cen ter for Sta te Cour ts sta ff. The proj ect is fund ed by a gran t through the sta te Suprem e Court.
December 1995 TIl e Judicial Council mak es reconunend a tion for crea tion of two additional supe rior court jud geship s to Governo r Miller and the Genera l Assembly. Prop osed legislati on estah lishi ng a p rocedure for sub m itti ng experime ntal co urt projects to the co uncil is app roved.
A Suprem e Cour t orde r establishes the Conuniss ion on Equality on December 13 . TIl e commission continues the work of the Sup reme Court Conun ittee for Gende r Equality (es Ulblishe d in 19 92 ) an d the Sup reme Court Conun ission on Racial a nd Ethnic Bias in the Courts (esta lilishe d in 1993 ). Amon g the new co mmission's objectives a re the following: formulat e a nd propose guide lines, sta ndar ds and pr ocedures to impl ement the conuniss ion's recommendati ons, develop appropriate judicial and legal ed uca tion co urse mat erial; reconunend legislation needed to further the aims of the com miss ion; and develop a mechanism for processing bia s co mplaints against judges a nd lawy er s. (P lea se see page 68 for more informat ion .)
TIle Sta te Bar of Georgia Com mission on Family Courts recommends th at a family cou r t division of supe rio r court be establis hed, combining existing supe rior cour t jurisdi ction over famil y law matters a nd jurisdicti on over family law matters curre ntly exercised by juv enil e co urts and othe r classes of co urts. Th e com missio n was created by the Sta te Bar in 1994 .
8

Fiscal Year 1996 Highlights - - -- - - - - -
January 1996 Ch ief Ju st ice Robcrt Benham delivers his first Sta te of thc Judiciary Address to the Ce nera l Assembly. He an no unces th e up comi ng 15 0 th anniversary of th e Sup reme Court and invites legislators to join in th e celeb ra tion. After reviewing co urt case loads a nd the budgetary and personnel need s of th c courts, the chief ju stice outlines on-go ing judi cial branch initiativ es suc h as the Child Placement P roceedings P roject, thc Family Co urts Commiss ion, the Co mm ission on Equ ality, thc Co mmission on Subs ta nce Abu se and th e Courts, th e Gcorg ia Courts Autom ati on Comm ission a nd th e Gco rgia Office of Dispu te Resolu tion. He exp rcsses concerns over redu cti ons in fundin g for legal representa tio n of indi gents a nd concludes with a look a hea d to th e 2 1st ccntur y.
February 1996 T he Georgia S up reme Co urt hear s oral arg umcnts in the Jefferson County Courthouse in Lo uisville on February 23 in cele b ra tion of the Middle Ju dicial Circ uit's biccntcn nial. Judges. unorueys, sc hool children and ot her citize ns from thro ughout the circuit atl cud .
A portrai t o f former Chief Ju stice Har old G. Clarke is unveiled on Feb ruary 27 in the Supreme Cour t courtroom wher e he served from 1979 to 1994 . Th e members of the Gco rgia Sup reme Court a nd Court of Appea ls and numerou s d igni rn r ies a re pr cscnt for the cc rcmo ny lind speec hes hon oring Chicf J ustice Cla rke .
March 1996 Th e Supre me Co urt Committee on Subs ta nce Abu se and th e Courts helps co- host the nation wide White House Leader ship Co nference on Youth Drug Usc and Violence on Ma rch 7. T he purposc of the da y- lon g teleconferen ce is to ed uca te th e pub lic and enlist th e suppo rt of leaders from all sectors of soc iety in a nation al privat e/ public partnership to reduce ado lescent drug usc and violence.
April 1996 The Georgia Sup reme Co ur t marks its 15 0th anniver sary th e week of April 8 with events co mme morating its founding a nd history. T he celeb ra tion's high point is a black-tic din ncr feat uring a dramatic performan ce on th e history of th e court. Oth er events include a specia l ce remo nia l sess ion of the co ur t a nd a reunion for curre nt and former justi ces, widows of former ju st ices, lind current a nd former staff m e m b e rs .
Governor Miller signs into law II bi ll incr ea sing to tcn the number of judgcs on the Co urt of App eal s. A seco nd bill signed by the governo r crea tes a pr ocedu re for sub mitt ing p rop osals for expe rime nta l co urt projects of non un iform jurisdiction to th e Ju dicial Council. T he governor a lso signs a House Resolu tion crea ting a co m miss ion to study thc current struc ture and ope ra tion of the ap pellat e co urts a nd to recommend lUI y needed cha nges.
May 1996 T he Geo rgia Supreme Cou rt Commission on Eq uality hosts the an nual meetin g of the Na tiona l Co nsort ium of Task For ces a nd Commissions on Racial a nd Et hnic Bias in the Cou rts in Atlanta on Ma y 10 - 11 . T he foc us of the mecting is "J ustice a nd Wom en of Color." More tha n 80 men and wom en from 27 sta tes and the District of Columbia pa rticipate. Georgia Sup reme Court J ustice Leah J. Scars deliv ers the keynote address.
Chief Ju stice Robert Benh am gives the keynote speec h at the inau gural recep tion of the Georgia Hispa nic Ba r Associati on on May 1 a t thc Em ory University Schoo l of Law .
June 1996 TIle Sta te- Fe de ra l Judicial Counci l, estab llshed to foster a coope ra tive relati on ship between thc state a nd fed eral judiciari es in Georgia , meets in Sava nnah on June 5 . Judge Joyce Bihnry. U.S. Ba nkrup tcy Court, Northern Distr ict, serves as moderator of the program. "The Effect of the Autom at ic Stay a nd th e Disch a rge in Ba nk rup tcy on Domestic Rela tions Cases."
The Ju d icial Co unc il votes to ad op t an a me nded fcc sched ule for the Boar d of Court Repor ting. Three judicial circ uits sub mit draft p rop osal s for expe rimenta l court pr ojects .
9

'S ta te Appropr-iations for the Judi cial Bra nch: Fiscal Years 1995, 1996 and 1997

Bndgct nit /A gcnc r Supreme Court

FY 1995 Ame nde d Ap p ro p riatio n
$5,433,395

FY 1996 Ame nde d Ap p ro p riatio n
$5 ,570 ,675

Percent Change FY 95 -96
2.5 %

FY 1997 Gc nera l Ap p ro p riatio n
$6,015,63 1

P ercent Cha nge
FY 96-97
8.0 %

Court of Ap pea ls

6 ,269 ,4 16

7, 104,204

13.3 %

7 ,895 ,6 1 1

1 1.1%

Sup erio r Courts (Tota l) Opera tions Coun cil of Supe rio r Coun Ju dges Ju dicial Adm in istrat ive Districts Prosecuting Attorneys' Council Sentence Review Panel

49,854,885 46 ,339,363
135 ,4 17 1,242,858 1,969,089
168 , 15 8

57 ,553 ,333 53,852 ,565
394,438 1,290,967 2,0 15,363

15.4% 16.2% 19 1.3% 3.9% 2.4%

62,4 13,023 58,308,9 19
530, 075 1,34 6,564 2 ,227 ,465

8 .4% 8 .3% 3 4 .4 % 4 .3 % 10.5%

Counc il of Juve nile Court Judg es

1,023,530

1,077,570

5.3%

1,053,172

-2 .3 %

Insti tute of Conti nuin g Ju dicial Ed ucati on (Total) Opera tions Magistr a te Courts Traini ng Council Muni cipal Courts T ra ining Council

652 ,490 5 13,260 139,230

7 11,007 548,459 148,098
14,450

9.0% 6.9% 6.4% 100.0%

758 ,378 590,306 151 ,78 8
16,284

6.7% 7 .6% 2 .5% 12.7 %

Ju dicia l Council Opera tions Board of Court Rep orting Case ColUIring Coun cil of Magistrat e Court Judges Coun cil of Probat e Court Judges COIUlCil of Sta te Court Judges Coun cil of Superior Coun Clerks Appellat e Resou rce Center

1,62 4,44 2 1,084, 68 6
70,756 76 ,500 26,700 20 ,000 12,000 33 ,800 300 ,000

1,74 1,322 1,204,166
7 1,281 76 ,500 25,835 20,450 12,050 3 1,040 300 ,000

7 .2% 11.0 % 0.7% 0 .0% -3.2% 2 .3% 0.4% -8 .2 % 0.0%

2,026,094 1,44 0 , 55 8
78,2 11 76, 5 00 2 1,385 58 ,700 24,500 26 ,240 30 0 ,00 0

16.4% 19.6% 9.7% 0 .0% -17 .2 % 187 .0% 103.3% - 15 .5 %
0.0%

Judi cial Quali ficati ons Commission

178,808

2 17,718

2 1.8%

168 , 197

-22 .7%

Indig ent Defense Council

2,000 ,000

3 ,000 ,000

50 .0 %

3 ,000 ,000

0 .0%

Georgia Courts Autom ati on Com mission Operati ons Sta te- wide Cou nty Comp uterize d Inform ation Tet.

1,244 ,331 588,985 655,3 46

1,344,703 660,903 683,800

8. 1% 12.2% 4 .3 %

1,767,256 1,083,456
683 ,800

31.4 % 63 .9%
0 .0%

Geo rgia Office of Dispute Resolution

229 ,149

100.0%

249,068

8 .7%

J ud ici a l Branch T ota ls

568 .28 1.297

578.549,68 1

15.0 % 585.34 6.-130

8.7 %

- - - - - - - - -- - Appropria tions - - - - - - - - - - -
T he total state budget rose by 7.3 percent for fiscal year 1996; ap propriations to the judicial bra nch increased by 15 percent .

10

State Judicial Branch Budget nits: Funds Available and Expenditures Fiscal Year 1996

Su p reme Co ur t

Co u r t of Ap l)eals

S u per ior Co u r ts

Co u nc il uf J uveni le
Co u r t Ju dg."

Ineritute of Con lin u ing
Ju d ici al Ed u catio n

Ju di ci al

Ind igent

J utli c ia l Qua lif ic.atiulll'i Defe n se

Cou nc il Con u ul seio n Co u n ci l

Geo rg ia Co u r ts Auhunat ion C Olll ll l isl'lio Jl

om""o r
D illlUlt e Res o h rti on

T uta )

Fun ds A.ailab le Genera l Suppleme nt al T otal Sta te Fun ds Federal Funds Othe r Fu nd. T ran sfers to\from
Fun ct ional Budgets

$ 5 ,5 15 ,6 75 55 ,000
5 ,570,675 27,0-1 1
7 19,77 9

$7, 1-12,296 -3 8, 092
7, 10-1 ,20-1 0
73, -19 1

$53,297,032 -1 ,256 ,30 1
57,553,333 2,3 69 ,35 1 1,525 ,10 7

$ 1,07 7,570 0
1,0 77 ,570 110 ,-12-1 0

$7 11,007 0
7 11,007 8,006
2 1-1 ,995

$ 1,693,2 1-1 -1 8, 108
1,7-11 ,322 93 , 12-1 117, 79 5

$ 157 ,7 18 60,000
2 17,7 18 0
10,0 30

$3 ,000.000 0
3, 000,000 0
3,02-1 , 185

$ 1,363 ,8 1 1 - 19,108
1,3 -1-1,703 108 ,000 0

$229, 1-19 0
2 29, 1-19 0
25 , 118

$7 -1,187, -172 -1 ,362,209
78,5-19,68 1 2,7 15,9-16 5,7 10,500

-79 ,-1 92

- 100 ,000

0

0

0

79, -192

-60 ,000

100,000

60 ,000

0

0

To ta l Fu nds Ava ilabl e S6,238,003 87,077.695 S61 , 447,79 1 SI , 187,99 4 S93 4,00 8 S2,03 1,73:\ S1 67,74/1 S6,1 2 4, I/15 S I ,512,70:\ S254,267 S/l6,976,127

Ex pen d itu res

Personal Se rvices

$ -1 ,78 9 , 133

Regular Ope rati ng Expen ..... 599,5-11

T ravel

32 ,969

Eq uipme nt Pu rch ases

79 , 13-1

Computer Charges

1-13 ,1152

Real Esta te Rent al.

30 1,69 -1

Tele communica tions

-13 ,92 2

Per Diem, Fees & Contra cts 2 11,-10-1

$6 ,3 1-1 ,368 22 1,80 1 17 ,56 9 16 ,530 67 ,752 2 -15,025 35 ,-150 15,96 9

$55 , 12 5,3 19 1,0 78,68 1 662.i72 372 ,6 16 99, 15 1 152 ,15 3 322, 168 1, 75 2 ,5 9 5

$66"i ,022 339,92 6 -1 3,896 0 2 1,966 -11 ,730 12 ,1-1-1 63 ,9-19

0 222.298
0 0 18 ,3 5 0 0 0 59 8, 527

$ 1, 185,0-18 20 7,70 3 28 ,5 77 11,7 12 132 ,Y86 35, -1-18 2 1,337 3 72 ,-130

$8 3,8-13 29 ,082 I. Y/l6 0 0 5 ,75-1 1,05 7 22 .-1 72

$ 1,0 7-1 ,069 3,3 79,325 37, 285 -1-1 ,839 2 ,079 -18 ,31 2 13,837 28 ,75 1

$239,59 1 10 ,898 13 ,86 7 6 0, 073
1,11 7 ,8 10 3 ,9 30
-18 ,-165 120 ,3-19

$ 178 ,0 86 2 -1 , 10-1 1,93 8 8 -1 8,596 26 , 110 8 23 1-1 ,-19-1

$69,65 3,-179 6, 113,3 59 8-10,559 5 8-1,9 88 1,61 2 ,5-12 860, 156 -1 99 ,203 3,200 ,9-10

To la l Expenditu res

S6,20 1,649 S6, 93 4,46 4 S59, 565, I 55 S1, 187,633 S839,175 $1, 99 5,2 4 1 $ 144 , 194 S4,628,497 $ 1,6 14,9 83 S254,235 S83, 365,226

Five- Year Comparison of State .Judicial Budget (1993-1997)

Fisca l Yea r

Tot al Sta te Ap p ro p rt utl o n

Percent Cha nge

Judi c ial Ap pro p ria tio n

Percen t Cha nge

Percent of Sta le Bud get

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997

$8,252 ,2 16,454 $9,201,886,925 $10,236, 138,444 $ 10,980,393 ,127 $ 11,34 1,527,653

9.3% 11.5% 10.9% 7 .3% 3 .3%

$60 ,828,071 $63 ,674,960 $68 ,281,297 $78,549,681 $85,346,430

8.6% i .7% 7.2% 15.0% 8.7%

0.74% 0 .69 % 0.67% 0.72 % 0 .75 %

11

- - - - - - - - - - - Georgia Court System: June 30, 1996 - - - - - - - - - - -

Ca pita l felon ies. Co nstitutio nal issue s. Title to lan d . Wi lls, equi ty, a nd divorce.

SUPREME COURT 7 justices jurisdiction: Appe llate jurisdiction ove r cases of
co nstitutiona l issue , title to land , va lidity o f a nd co nstruction of wills, hab ea s corpus, extrao rdi na ry rem ed ies, co nvictions of ca p ita l fe lonies , equ ity, divorce, alimony, e lection co ntest. Certi fied questions a nd ce rtiora ri from Co urt of Appea ls.
COURT OF APPEALS 9 judges (3 divi sion s)" jurisdiction: Appellate jurisd iction over lower co urts
in ca ses in whi ch Suprem e Court ha s no exclusive a ppe llate jurisdictio n.

STATE CO URT (65 co urts) 9 1 jud ge s (93 author ized ): 46 full-time, 4 7 part -time. jurisdiction (limited ): Civil law ac tio ns excep t
cases wit hin the excl usive jurisdic tio n of super ior co urt. Misdem eanors, tra ffic, felo ny prelimi naries . jury trials.

SUPERIOR COURT 46 ci rc uits, 169 judge s jurisdiction (generel): Civil law actio ns, misdem eanors, a nd
othe r cases. Exclusive jurisdic tion over ca ses of
d ivorce , title to land , eq uity. Exclu sive fe lony jurisdiction . jury trials.
II

JUVENILE COURT (159 courts) 52 jud ge s: 23 full-time, 29 part-time , 35 a ssoc iate judges. Super ior co urt judges serve in co untie s witho ut sepa rate juve nile co urt judges . jurisdiction (limited): Depr ived , unruly,
delinqu ent juven ile s. Juvenil e traffic. No jury trials.

PROBATE COURT (159 co urts) 159 judges jurisdiction (limited): Exclu sive jurisdic tion in pro-
ba te o f wills, admi nistratio n of estates, appoi ntme nt of gua rdians, ment ally ill, involuntary hosp italiz ation s, marriage licen ses. Tra ffic in some co unties . Hold co urts of inquiry. Sea rch wa rrants a nd arre st wa rrants in ce rtain ca ses. Miscellaneous misdem eanor cases.

Co unties w ith po pu lat ion over 9 6,00 0 w he re probate judg e is a tto rney pra cticin g at lea st seve n yea rs. jury trials.
MAGISTRATE COURT (159 co urts) 158 c h ie f magistrate s a nd 3 16 magistra tes; 32 a lso serve juvenile , pro bate or c ivil c ourts. jurisdiction (limited): Search a nd arrest warrant s,
fe lo ny a nd misdem eanor prelim inari es , misd em eanor bad c heck violation s, county ordi na nces . Civil cla ims o f $5,000 or le ss, d ispo ssessories, d istress wa rrants. No jury trials.

MUNICIPAL COURTS (376 c ourts ac tive) jurisdiction (limited): O rdi na nce vio latio ns,
traffic, c rimina l pre liminari es. Miscellan eous misdemeano r cases. No jury trials.

COUNTY RECORDER'S COURT
(4 co urts) 14 judg es jurisdiction (limited): County ordi na nce s,
c rimina l war rants and preliminar ies. No jury trials.

"A tenth judg e will be added July I , 19 96 . 12

CIVil COURT (2 courts)
3 judges jurisdiction (limited): War rants. Misdem ea nor
a nd fe lony pre liminaries . Civil tort andcontract cases
und er $7,500 fo r Bibb County; und er 525 ,00 0 for Richmond County. jury trials.

MUNICIPAL COURT (1 court in Columbus) 1 judg e jurisdiction (limited ): Civ il law a nd landl ord -
ten an t ca ses (c ivil) und er 57 ,5 0 0 . Misdem eanor gu ilty plea s a nd preliminary hear ings.
W arra nts. jury trials in civil cases.

- - - - - - - -- - Georgia' s Judicial District s, Cin :uits and Co unties - - - - - - - - - -

Georgia Judicial Districts _iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiil

Circu it Boundary

_

County Boundary

_

o

50

I

I

miles

THOMA S
Judicia l Counc il of Georgia
13

THEC:()URTS
- - - - - - - - - - - Supreme Court - - - - - - - - - - - -
Th e Supreme Court has exclusive appellate juri sdi ction in th e following matters: cases involving th e constr uction of a tr eaty or of th e Georgia or U.S. Constitution; th e constitutionality of a law, ordinance or constitutional provision ; and election contests. Th e state constitution gives th e Supreme Court jurisdiction of all cases involving titl e to land, equity, wills, habeas corpus, extraordinary remedies (mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto, etc.) , divorce and alimony, all cases certified to it by the Court of Appeals and all cases in whi ch a sentence of death was imposed or could be impo sed. Additionally, the Suprem e Court may answer any qu estion of law from any state or federal appellate court and may revi ew by certiorari cases in th e Court of Appeals which are of gr eat public importance.
T erms of cour t begin in January, April and September. Oral arguments ar e heard eac h month, except August and Decemb er . The constitution provides that all cases shall be decided no lat er than the term following th e term to which th e case is dock eted.
Cases ar e assigned in rotation to th e justices for pr eparation of opinions and decisions of the whole cour t. When a justice pr epares an opinion, it is cir culated for stu dy to th e oth er justi ces and after discussion en ban e th e opinion is adopted or rejected by a majority of th e justices. If a justice is unable to serve or disqualifies him self or herself in a particular case, a substitute judge may be designated by th e remaining justices to serve.
The seven justi ces ar e elected to staggere d, six-year terms in statewide, nonpartisan elections. A can didate for judgeship mu st have been admitted to practice law for at least seven years prior to assuming office. A vacancy on th e court is filled by gub ernatorial appointment to complete th e un expired term. The justic es elect th e chief justi ce and a pr esiding justi ce to handle administrative matters for th e court. Th e chief justice also presides as chair of th e Judicial Council of Georgia.
Ea ch justice ha s three full-time staff memb ers: two attorneys and one administrative assistant. The attorneys assist th e justic es in research and th e preparation of opinions. Th ey ar e not permitted to practice law whil e employed by th e court .
The Supreme Court clerk , appointed by th e members of the court for a six-year term, is th e administrative officer of th e court, The clerk ha s charge of th e court's records and keeps its minutes. Th e opinions of th e Supreme Court are published by th e official reporter who is also appointed by th e court.
The Supreme Court has authority to promulgate orders need ed to carry out its fun ctions and has rul e-making authority for th e superior , state, juvenil e, probate and magi strate courts. Th e Admini strative Office of th e Courts, th e Institute of Continuing Judicial Education, th e Judicial Coun cil of Georgia, th e Office of Bar Admi ssions, th e Office of Dispute Resolution, th e State Bar of Georgia and th e Chief Justice's Comm ission on Professionalism assist th e Supreme Court in its fun ction and duties.
14

Supreme Court Cascload: 1994 and 1995

Filed

1994

1995

Direct appeals (includes cross appeals ) 53 1

538

Petiti ons for certiorari

726

841

Applicati ons for a ppeal

Ha beas corpus

202

277

Discr etionary

244 1

202

Interlocut ory

51

53

Attorn ey disciplinaries

169

113

Original petiti ons/motions

7

10

Extra ordinary motions

16

16

Certi fied questi ons

7

3

Ba r admis sions

5

14

Judicial quali ficati ons

3

1

Tota l

1,96 1 2,Q68

1994

By opinion

40]2

Affirmed without opinion (Rule 59 )

43

Allowed withdrawn

36

Trans ferre d to the Court of Appeals

141

Appeals dismissed

84

Petitions for certiora ri

Denied

609

Gra nte d

25 3

Oth er

25

Dismissed



Withd raw n



Writ vaca ted



Ha beas corpus ap plicati ons

Denied

13 9

Grant ed

3

Other

4

Dismissed



Remand ed



Discretionary appli cati ons

Denied

140'

Grant ed

41

Other

45

Dismissed



Transferred to Court of Appeals

Interlocutory ap plicati ons

Denied

26

Gra nted

8

Other

15

Dismissed



Transf erred to Court of Appeals

Withdrawn

Extra ordinary motions

Denied

15

Grant ed

6

Dismissed

Stricken from docket

8

Bar admissions

4

Judicial qualifications

1

Attorney discipline

138 &

1995
421 " 35 37 91 94
770 73 1

13 6 6
248 2

7
5
123 35

22 21
31 12 "
5
4 1
11 2 1 11 10 2 86

Tot al

1,957 2,185

1 Includ es 5 appl icati ons for Interim Appellate Revi ew. 2 In 1994 ,331 appeals and 70 grant ed writs of certiora ri were disposed of by 355 writt en opinions. 3 Includ es 1 writ grante d and remanded to the Court of Appeals. Includ es 3 applicati ons for Interim Appellate Revi ew, s In 1994 , this figure for th e first time included a ppointments of Special Masters. 6 In 1995 ,41 8 ap peals and 45 grant ed writs of certiora ri were disposed of by 421 writt en opinions. 1 Includ es 2 writs granted an d remand ed to the Court of Appeals , and 4 grant ed with the notice of appeal directed to this coun. " Includes 2 appli cati ons granted and remand ed to superior coun In 1995, this figure was furth er broken down , as shown .

15

- - - - - - - - - -- Court of Appeal s - - - - - - - - - - -
Th e Georgia Court of Appeals, created in 1907 to alleviate th e caseload burden of th e Georgia Supreme Court, has constitutional jurisdiction over app eals from superior, state and juvenile courts in all cases where exclusive or general juri sdiction is not reserved to the Supreme Court. T hese cases includ e civil claims for damages, child custody cases, workers' compensation and other administrative law cases and all criminal cases other than capital felonies. The court ma y also certify legal question to the Supreme Court.
Tine judges serve on pan els of three jud ges each . (In 19 96 , th e General Assembly created a tenth judgeship for th e Court of Appeals. T he tenth jud ge will tak e office in July, 1996.) Th e chief judge of the court, usuall y th e m ost senior judge who has not served as chief judge, is elected by th e court to a two-year term and is responsible for the administration of the cour t. T he chief judge appoint s three presiding judges, usually the most senior, to head each pan el and assigns judges to the panels each year . The chief judge and the presiding judges form the executive council which decides and/o r advises on certain adm inistra tive matters.
Panel decisions ar e final unless a judge dissents. If after a hearing by th e full cour t the judges are equ ally divided, the case is transferr ed for decision to th e Supreme Court.
Court of Appeals judges are elected to staggered, six-year terms in statewide, nonpartisan elections. A candidate for judgeship mu st hav e been admitted to pra ctice law for at least seven years prior to assuming office. In th e event of vacan cies, the governor app oints successors to complete unexpired term s.
Th e court has terms beginning in September, January an d April. The Georgia Constitution provides th at all cases shall be decided no lat er th an the term following the term to which a ca e is docketed (the "two term " rul e) or th e case shall be affirmed by opera tion of law. It is believed th at no case has ever been so affirmed.
Th e Court of Appeals has a clerk/court administrator to handle th e administrative requirements of the court as well as th e court records.
16

Court of Appeals Caseloud: 1994 and 1995

Filed
Appea ls Discreti onary applicat ions Int erl ocut ory a pplicatio ns
Tota l

1994
2,8-i2
6 11
458
3.91 1

1995
2,883 -i1 9 333
3.635

D i~ II(l~l.'( 1
Appeals
By opinio n By order Hule 36
T ot al Discretiona ry a pplicati on"
Gra nted Deni ed Dism issed Transf err ed to Supreme Court Withdrawn Change d to Int erl ocu tory Tota l Int erlocut ory a pplica tio ns Gra nted Deni ed Dismi ssed Transferred to Supreme Co urt Withdrawn To ta l
To tal

19')4
2.3 15 580
2,895
132 340
64 15 4
0
555
139 244
37 2
I
-i23
3,873

1995
1,860 648 239 "
2.7-17
11 7 382
37 10 1 0 547
159 248
68 3 1 479
3.773

*11lli; data Was list ed separately for th e first time ill 1995 .

17

- - - - - - - - - - -- Superior Courts - - - - - - - - - - - -
The su perior court is Georgia 's general juri sdiction trial court. It ha s exclusive, con titutional authorit y over felony cases, divorce, equit y and cases regarding titl e to land . The exclusive juri sdiction of this court also covers such matters as declaratory judgm ent s, habeas corpus, mandamus, qu o warranto and prohibition. T he superior cour t corrects errors mad e by lower cour ts by issuing writ s of cert iora ri; for some lower courts, th e light to dir ect review by th e superior cour t a p p lies .
Su perior courts are orga nized int o 46 judicial circuits. Ea ch coun ty ha its own superior cour t, th ough a judge may serve more than one coun ty. umbers of superior court judges per circuit ran ge from two judges in eac h of 16 circuits to 15 judges authorized for the Atlanta Judi cial Circuit. A chief judge handles the administrative ta sks for each circuit.
T he superior cour t circuits ar c grouped int o 10 judicial administrative distri cts ranging in size from one to 27 counties. Admini strati ve judges for each circ uit ha ve statu tory authority to compile caseload dat a and other informati on and to as ign superior cour t judges, with th eir ap proval, to serve temp orarily in oth er counties and circuits as needed. (Please see pag e 64 for more informati on on judicial adm in i tra tive distri cts. )
Su perior court jud ges ar e elected to four-year terms in nonpartisan, circuitwide ra ces. T o qualify as a su perior court judge, a can didate mu st be at least 3 0 years old, a citizen of Georgia for at least three years, and have practiced law for at least seven years. Superior cour t jud ges who have retired and taken senior status ma y hear cases in any circuit at th e requ est of a local judge, an administrative judge or th e governor.
As of [une 30, 1996, 169 judges serve in Georgia's 15 9 superior court
Graphs on pa ge 19 show total, civil, criminal and average per judge filings and dispositions for calendar years 1991 through 1995. Caseload da to for the superior courts f or calendar y ear 1995 by circuit and case type are presented on pages 20 and 21.
About Filing and Disposition Figures
Fili ng a nd disposition figures included in th is report ca nno t a nd sho uld not be co nside red a comp lete measu rement of jud icial workload bo rne by a ny give n judge in any given conrt. Sta tistics a lone ca nno t describe the relative cont r ibutions by va riou s members of th e judiciar y in the per form an ce of their officia l duties. nor a re they indica tive of the effort a judge has p ut for th or the hours spe nt in performing the d uti es of office. Ther efore. this report sho uld not be used to eval ua te or compare judicial perform a nce.
18

Superior COlli'. Filing and Disposition Trends. 1991- 199:3

Tlllal fiI in~~ / disposition
Fili llgs- - - - lJisf! 0sil ioI/S- -

<:Y I ll'll

CY I 'J'):!

CY I ~) ' I-!

:\ IO.:lh?

:lOa .a ? :!

- - - - - - - :IOt;.?:!-I

:IOli.' ):11

- - - - .......

:11I-1. \-1 ": sos.c : ........

<, ....

_ - - - - - -,

.......

......

:!() ~. ()h';

:!f)"':. ",u,............

<,

:!' J(I. ":IJ')

:1I(l.OOO :ll)O.OOO :!()O. OO O

Ci\'illilin~4 di~JlII~ililln~

---
l a -:-.-I I?

l a h .:!:H
----I \-I.:! I :!

I' H . IO:!
" \. :1111
"""- -, """"-
1"::1. 'Nil

:!OO.OOO 1" 0.000 I BO. OOO

Crtminul filin~~/
di~plI~ililln~
.....
11(,. ":')')

I:!O.h' l7
..... " -,
119.-1:1.'1 -, -, -, -, -, -,
" <,
I I :!. \.;:1 ........

Il lJ.-I:!:!
// '.!.(,.,,:m
/ / / / / ........ , / 111')..;111,

1:!0 .0 0 0 I 1;' .000 110 .0 0 0

A\'t'l"a~(' pel" j lHl~I" total fil i n~4
d ispos!I ions*

:!. I-:";;

* Bl't WI" '1I Itj l)() and Iqlt.} . it 11I1111111'1" of jlld ;':I '~lI il' '' wr-rt1I1111111riZl 'd hil t uufllh-d PI'IHlill g re-ulut io n of lil iglltiuJI of judie'iill " I"j,t icllh. TI II""" jllll l!l '~h ip~ wr-rt - filll1! ill 11)f).) : lid .. il l ', '01ll 1l .. for II II' lIlark"d dt 'I TI'a .., ill tilt'a n'nt!.:I' iu rul filiug../ c1 i..P" ..itioll:ot [ u-r- judgt"
C\' I IJ') I

:!. I II \

:!. I-IO

:!. 1;' 0

~.~;; - - 7.117-1\

C \' I ll" :1

\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \

I .B:.!H

C Y I"I I-!

\ I . "::!II CY 1'11).-)

:!.OOO I.B;' O

19

Super ior Court Ca seload, Ca lendar Year 1995 (docket entries)

Circuit

# ofJudges

Tota l Cr iminal

Filed

Dispo sed

Felon y

Filed

Disposed

Misdemeanor

Filed

Disposed

Probation Revocation

Filed

Dispo sed

Alapa ha

2

4 ,284

3,799

1,4 64

1,369

2,671

2,281

149

149

Alcovy

3

4,695

4 ,72 0

1,334

1,4 81

2,482

2,40 1

87 9

8 38

Appa lac hia n Atlarlta" " "

'

,

......

,

i

2
s

......

""'

1,6 7 6
i 2',i'8S '

..

..

'"

1,3 77
iO,977'

..

'

..

"

..

526
8,997 "

..

..

..

..

397
7) '89 ..

'

..

....

....

779
, ..0....

..

'

....6.1. 20

'

, ..

,'"

..j;13

71
88

..

"

'

..

..

'3;3"6888"

Atla n tic

4

1,006

9 49

827

743

20

38

159

168

t\ug~,s,ta " .. , .... " " ,.7. " ....," .., 3..,19,9 , .. .. , .. , .2.,~69, .. .. " .. ..1..~? 1 , .. .. , .. .. !?2.2 .... " "" , .. ?,~~ .. .. .. ,.. ,,~? 5" , .. " .. ", ,~ 7?, " .. , .. " ,, ~ ~ 2..

Blue Ridge

3

1,379

1,346

899

877

154

147

326

32 2

Brun swi ck

4

2,0 44

2, 162

1,47 9

1,636

269

23 0

29 6

296

~~~!t,aho~ ~~" " " " 5" " " , , " " , 2!8,1,~ " " " " , ,3A~~ l "" " " " ,l A 83" " " " , , ! l?~~ " " " " " " , 6?Q" " " " " ?<?~" " " " " " ,~ ?~, " " " ", " ~,?~, ,

Cher okee

3

2,3 10

2,227

796

738

690

663

8 24

8 26

Clayto n

4

2,981

3, 142

1,94 9

2,097

81

94

951

95 1

CCoo nbabsa uga'

,

,,,,

,,,,

,

, '84

'

,

,,,,,

,,,

,,

"5',,887648'

,,,,,,,,

'5i ,:96i5i6l

'

,,,,,

, , ",4 ,40 0 ~;'96 '

,,,,,

,,,,4, ,,63'2is7

'

,,,

,,,,,

, , , , 615791 '

,

,,,,,

, , , ,619803

'

,,,,,

, , , ,1, ,'G29i)3'

,,,,

,"

,, ,1,,'613i)6'

,

Co rde le

2

1 ,64 0

1,64 5

596

600

5 11

512

533

533

Cowet a
Do ~'g he ~ty " " "

' )5' "

2i,,5"2290 .'22',,'444;9r

"1',,7"6306" ' 11',,647','20

3s7o7j '536447"

'441630'

441630"

Do ug las

2

2 ,4 46

2,336

936

77 1

1,01 2

1,0 77

49 8

488

Dub lin 'E'ast a ~""""

"

"""

2 '6 "

"

""""

1,338

1,280

i Ji i " " " ' " 3:107"

69 4
" " " " i ,i17"

62 1

432

" " " " 2',3'40" " " " " " " '69""

" ""

4
"

5v3s

:

':

'':

2 12
'735"

206
" " " " " '695"

Enot ah

2

828

9 49

303

33 1

346

439

179

1 79

Flint

3

1,89 6

1,7 5 8

859

8 30

6 43

5 47

39 4

381

G~i'rii~ " " " " " " " " 4" " " " " ' " 2',907" " " '" '2,978" " " " " '1',6'54"" " " " i ',48i " " " " " ' " iI6; " " " " ';:;04" " " " ' " '392" " " " " " 3'92"

G w i n n ell

6

2,9 80

3,0 34

2,00 7

2,065

6

2

96 7

967

Hou ston
Looko~1 Mo~ n ia i'n "

"

'24 " .... ," ,.. i1,,505365' " ..,..,'21:,528872'"

..,' .... ,'7g'7171" " ......'l',9i322j ' .. ' " ,.. ..'l':1,.602i' .... " -;:21(5;41" ,

' .. " '422i2i " " "

,'21'1818"

Ma c on

5

3, 29 5

3,333

1,838

1,856

25 1

328

1,20 6

1,14 9

Middle
Mo~ niain

'

,, , ,,, ,,,,, ,'2i

'

, , , , , , , , , ,, i1',,4208 07 '

,,,,,,,,'11',J4682i

' ,, ,,,, ,,,,1,,s1 z6 2s

,,,,,,,,,1,,,149545

'

,,,,,,,,,,,,2'4547

'

,,,,,,,,,'i

64O4

'

,,,,,,,,,,'428i1i3'

,,,,,,,,,,42803i

'

North ea stern

3

1,68 5

1 ,54 9

1,29 3

1,143

18 7

20 4

205

202

North ern

, , , , , ,3,, , , , , , , , , , , , ,l A 96 , , , , , , , , , ,1, ,?~ 7, , , , , , , , , , , , ~,~~ , , , , , , , , , , , ,?,~O , ,,,,,,,,,,,, 4,1,1, , , , , , , , , , , 4 ~,5 , , , , , , , , , , , ,4 ~ ~, ,,,," ," ,,,~ n

Oc;';'~ lire ' '' '' '' ' 4

4,104

4,413

1,501

1,717

1,4 65

1,558

1,138

1,138

Oconee

2

1,4 74

1,572

59 1

706

65 0

661

233

205

OPagt;eleuclhae"e" ,.. .... ' .. ..i3 .. .... " ' ,.. i1',,44'77S3 ' .. " "" '1(,464708.. " .. " .. ,1',07'6576' .. ' ...... 1,',80i7a9 .... ' .. .... ..so26il .. .... ' " ..G2il4" .... ,.. .. ,'3i 8i1ii " .... .. ' .. 3z7c5i"

Pied mo nt

3

1,7 11

1,762

633

639

41 2

457

666

666

Rockda le

2

660

830

419

58 1

19

27

222

222

Ro~~" " " " " " " ' " '3 " " " " " " 2',95i " " " " 'i :683"""""" 703" " " " " " (,'1'9 " " " " ' " '1',696" ""'" i ;s(i6" " " " ' " '558" "" "' " '558"

South Georgia

2

1,211

1,21 5

5 82

5 74

198

204

431

437

s : ':' :' Southern

4

S~~ih ~~~t~r'~ " " " ' "

3 ,007

2,79 4

1,848

1,649

5 46

5 32

613

613

2',iS6" " " ' " i,058" " " " " " (,'If ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '563 " " " ' " ,736" " " " " '692" " "" " " '803" " " " " " 803'

Stone Mounta in

9

9,939

9,22 1

7 ,5 86

6 ,8 68

0

0

2, 3 53

2,353

TTiatlilaanp.o.o..sa" ' ,.. ,.. .." i3" .. .. ,' " .. 2,-,:,1-5704" " .. .. ,'2i.,'o11i i4l .. .. " .. ,.. 6G8il4" .. .... .. ,' 57001j.... ,.. ," ' "1,0i963i .. .." ' ..1..,i06150 ' .. ' .. .. ' .. '240663 .... " .. " " i40636"

Toombs Waycross We stern

2

1,4 80

1,46 3

398

414

3

1,530

1,533

1,0 8 6

997

3

1,84 5

1,50 8

1,13 9

960

8 18

785

26 4

26 4

122

89

3 22

44 7

185

13 5

521

413

Total

169

Average per Jud ge -

119,422 707

116 ,76 9 691

66 ,669 394

64,849 384

25,209 149

25,036 148

27,544 16 3

26,884 159

"Based o n 169 superior co urt judges

20

S uper ior Court Caseload, Calendar Yea r 1995 (docket entries)

Total Civil Filed Disposed

General Civil Filed Disposed

Domestic Relations

Filed

Disposed

Total Case load

Total Open

Filed

Disposed Caseload

Circuit

1,8 3 2

1,6 72

5 78

5 54

1,25 4

1, 118

6,1 16

5,47 1

3,537

Alapaha

3,758

3,5 11

1 ,4 75

1,425

2,283

2 ,086

8,453

8 ,231

4,545

Alcovy

. . . 1/)~. 1 17,5 78

) !~? ~ 10 ,4 33

62 8 " . . . . . 4 ~6i5 "

"

'"

,(

635

1,0 6 3

6 72"" " f 2;953,,



. 51',,07636i

.

.

3,367 29) 63











.

ii3;4,04io8'

.. .. .i '25,:.35939i "

~p'p~!~~ h.ia n Atl anta

.

3,401

3,122

1,126

932

2,275

2,190

4,407

4,0 71

1 ,6 8 2

Atl antic

.. .M~.4 3,215

8,9.2.~ 3,050

2 19.2.~ 710

1, ~ !.q
663

~ (5?.2. 2,505

~,1 .~~ 2,387

1. 1 .? ~ ~ 4,594

..1.q,.~?! 4,396

~ ,.3.1.? 2, 195

A.ugl.-' ~!~

.

Blue Ridge

3,913

3,861

1,095

1,080

2,818

2 ,781

5 ,957

6,0 23

1,871

Brunswick

." 6,079 3 ~54'i "

"

...

5,41 1 3,493

....



"

i1X,82l'60 ' "

.....1i ;,440074

....





'4z,.2i5269

..



. 4i ,,O00894"

58 ,;88955i



"

8,482 5) 20'

. ...

6,056 . " 3,0 75





Cha ttahooch ee
d~ e.:okee "





4,962

5, 162

687

744

4,275

4,4 18

7,9 43

8,30 4

1,96 7

..

.8,61 1 3~8i6

"

"

...

7,524 3,sio











.

.

.

.

.

i1,7 12 ~ 2 84

'

"

.

. ..

.1i ,.4i7541





..

..

. 26,;85949i







6,050 2)69











14 ,4 75 . . 5) 04



13 , 1 8 0 5;448







"5i,J63i o7"

Clayto n
Cobb
' Co ~a sa~ga"

2,53 1 . . ~ !93. 1
2,7 14

2,539
?,~ 8 . . . . .
2,8 8 1

758 1,4 8 6
63"7" "

727

1,77 3

1,4 8 2

4 ,54 5

60"1 '2;0 77 "

1,8 12
4i ,,3i8206'

4,171

4, 184

8,55 1

8,2 57

" 4;843 . . '5;298' .

8 43 3 ,693 . . '1',49 i "

Cordele Coweta . . bo~ili~ity

3,056

3,228

1,4 77

1,59 6

1,5 79

1,632

5,502

5 ,56 4

3, 168

Do uglas

...

2
6

,~4; B0"4j

(2;,,04'3876

; 702 ~6i8 "

"

'"

'1:6746"7i 41,;750525 .41,,64'920493,;7)0424 '93,;719173"

j1,,'3a3i 37EDausbtlfifnn"

.

1,710

1,623

. . . ~1~~.7 4,586

9~~ 4,099

8 ,235

8,3 19

2 , 10 4

2,266

. " 4 ~203 " " ." 3,9"75 ..

589

528

1,12 1

1,09 5

2,538

2, 572

844

)I ? ~. ~
1,681

.2,27.1 1,40 6

2(405 2,905

2,5.25 2,693

6 (243 7,493

6,.554 7,077

, . 3..7.20 4 ,99 5

2,521

2 ,873

5 ,714

5 ,446

11,21 5

11 ,3 5 3

3,3 47

465 934 ..





"

568 868

..





1,639 '3; 26 9

"

"

"

. 31,,6i9'o8i

"

"

"





"

3,139 6) 59

"

,,

3,553 6;55 7

..

"

1,92 1 '2:530"

Enotah ~!i n.t . Griffin G w i n nen
. HLooouksotouni'Mou'nt'aiii .

4 ,604

3,697

2,2 16

1 ,9 3 9

2,388

1,758

7,899

7,030

5,630

M acon

.. .2 ,?!.~ " " 2,O~~ .. "

2,023

1 ,8 6 6

6i)9 . " " " . " 58.5 ,,

58 4

526

1/ f) 3 " J ,?I.1.. " .3( ~??

1,4 39

1,340

3,223

" ,3,.57!l
3,027

1. r9.54 790

" . .M. i.q<.l !~ ..
M ount ain

3 ,226

3,522

929

1,044

2,297

2,478

4,9 11

5,071

1,867

No rtheastern

..?r?4.0 .."". 2,~.3.3

4,0 11

4,02 4

,75.7 "" . " 65.~ ,, 1(88~

1,38 2

1, 35 2

2,629

1 ,7?~ " 2,672

,,~ (~ ~ () 8 ,11 5

~ ,PO 8,437

.3,,<~~7. . " 1,991

N.orthern . " Ocm ulgee

1, 72 6

1,782

686

7 12

1,040

1,0 70

3,200

3,354

8 16

Oco nee

.. . ~ !??1 " ),~?~

1,34 5

1,3 18

)! ) ~.~ " 1,<??6

4 72

486

2 (~?5 873

P?~ 832

" ~(4 3 ~. . "
2,820

~ (~~? 2,958

1.,.1.3! 638

qg~.~~..
Pataula

2,578

2 ,386

8 43

779

1,735

1,60 7

4 ,289

4,148

2,12 3

Piedmo nt

..,31~,3o7i04 "

"

'"

1,64 6 2',7.58









i

37 4 ~ i63









i

495 ;03"7









i

996 ;861









1,15 1 i)ii







2,030 5;981









2,476 '5;44i







i

,983653' "

.... Rockdale ' R~I~';e " " ""

"

2,3 05

2,295

67 1

629

1,634

1,6 6 6

3,5 16

3,5 10

1,150

Sou th Georgia

S<)uthwestern.. ..

.4i

,8 2 1
~566

'

"

'

''

'

4,244 i ,4ii "

..

1,63 7

1,314

.. 73'3 .. .. 5~io









....

3",

18 4 833'''

..

"

..2,s93a0i .... " ..'37,;872i8'i

....



..

7,03 8 '3;479















4 ,334 1','749















So uthern

15 ,0 60 ... ~ !4~.~
2, 452 1,458 3,833 2,636

12,7 77 }!~~~ 2, 114 1,451 3 ,683 2,5 42

1,831 " " . ) !?~.q
6 44 503 1,1 10 1,022

1, 77 7 ~ ,~6P
56 4 487 1, 164 962

13,229

11 ,0 00

P?~" . " " ..2, ) .3.~

1,808

1,550

955

96 4

2,723

2,519

1,61 4

1,580

2 4,999 ~ (~~~ 3,626 2,9 3 8 5,363 4,481

21,998 ~(~ ~ 9 3, 142 2,914 5,216 4.050

11 ,332 2.,.6~2 1,94 7 1,294 2 ,671 2,499

Stone Mountain
T~n.~p~~
Tifto n Toomb s Waycross Weste rn

189,450 1,121

173,940 1,029

54,650 323

52 ,897 313

134,800 798

121,043 716

308,872 1,828

290,709 1,720

145,145 859

Total Average per Judge"

21

- - - - - - - - - - - - State Courts - - - - - - - - - - - -
A 1970 legislativ e act established th e state cour t system by designating cert ain existing countywide courts of limit ed juri sdi ction as state courts. In 66 coun ties, state cour ts ma y exercise jurisdiction over all misdemeanor violations, including tra ffic cases, and all civil actions, regardless of th e am ount claimed , unl ess the superior court has exclusive juri sdiction .
State courts ar e authorized to hold hearings on applications for and issuance of sea rch and arrest warrants and to hold preliminary hearin gs. T he Georgia Constitution grants state courts authorit y to review lower court decisions as provided by sta tu te.
The General Assembly creates sta te cour ts by local legislati on. Legislation also esta blishes th e number of judges and wheth er th e judges are to be full or part-time. Part-time judges may practice law, except in their own COW 1S.
In fiscal year 1996, 65 state cour ts opera ted in 66 of Georgia's 159 coun ties. One cour t serves both Cherokee and Forsyth countie . (A bill pas ed by th e 19 96 General Assembl y a boli hes th e joint cour t and creates two separate cour ts, effective January 1, 1997.) Of th e 93 autho rized jud geships, 9 1 are filled ; 46 ar e full-time and 47 ar e part-time.
State cour t judg es ar e elected to four-year term s in nonpartisan, countywide elections. Candidates must be at least 25 years old, have been admitted to practice law for at least five years, and have lived in th e tate for at least three years.
Filings and dispositions are presented fo r those slate courts submitting caseload data
to the Administrative Office of the Courts.
22

State Court Caseloa d, Calendar Year 1995 (number of defendant s)

County

Misdemeanor Filed Disposed Open

Traffic Filed Dispo sed Open

Civil Filed Disposed Open

Total Filed Disposed Open

App ling Baldwi n Bibb
. ' B ~ o ~'k s
Bryan Bu lloc h
'B~~k~ '

1,16 7

962

205

. . . ? .037 ?/!~

N/ ! '

59 1

162

429

'4;4' i i 6" i )8

4 .65 6
. 3 ~55.0
2.0 14
i ;663

4.248

408

. . 3..3/31.. . .. ..~(~

2.802

894

i.4h i 8i:J

70

53

17

. . . 1 284 1..5~6 ~~A

5.893
. 11..~! 1

74

36

38

2.679

184 . .i 45 '39 .. '" 2',20;

5.263
. ! .1..(55
3.000
( 844

630 N/(\.
1,361
35'7

Ca nd ler

190

.c;:an 9.11

464

Cha tha m

2,9 19

Challoo ga

807

'dCh<ei;rkoek'ee/For syth* 5, :,706926'

14 2
4 .5~
2.582
629
2i '..02080;

48
1 .~
2.278
1 78
50
~i5

2.560
5 ,98 .8 1,458 2,370
14,'9;0666 '

2 .0 2 4
?/ >!l5 1.329 1,9 6 8 4,58 1
i 48 '

53 6
2,.45 1 1 .28 2
402
8; 0i3

168
5 ?9 2.699
77 1,73 7
'649 '

123
59.2 2.292
37 298 448 '

45
l ..~P
3.397
40
12'305; '

2,9 18
6,9 .81 7,076 3 ,25 4 22 ,405 i ',9'1' ;

2.289
~.n ?
6.203
2.634
7, 159 '( 59 7'

6 29
.3 r!? ~
6.957
620
336i 5'4

Clayton 'CCl~i'nbcbh"

17,362 15.3 73 4.91 8

24.556 21.788

225 '-;:28 6'

2 14 9'.5(;3









.

N1/A1



.. 6 61;,721951



'551:.6i '673-;

4,866

4.20 5 4.302 1.588

46.1 23 41,463 11.372

N5i;2...2'3:16164 2 i .i '17-1;

Nit.3.

.. 1 !9.~4 .... ..1 A~~ 96,743 85 ,9 17

.. .. .. . 6.6 N/A

Co ffee Co lqui ll
'ci:iweta" .... .. ... " ( 440" .. .. .4'5) .. .. ..603.. ... ..9;;i3 ... .7:2~i8 ... ");067' .. . 532 ..... il:io" .. 61i ... .. " ; i'.i 45 ..... 8,57; . 4,282

De Kalb

8.513 9.059

N/A

4.680 3.083 1.59 7 55.2 47 36.679 18.568

68,440 48.82 1 20 .165

' Db'~e c~agthuer ~t y"

"

"

"

..j

72 :l'j

1 8..

..

i

646
f3;

.. ..

..

.7.~ 407

........2 !2~.1.. 4,750

..

. 2..08.~ .... .. .1.9 ?.. .

4.564

186

80 ....... ~.6 .......44...... . 3.082

84 5

69 2 153

. 8)'3)

.. i2.,978676

3 16 746

Earl y .E (f!ngh.~ ~t Elbe rt

4 17

348

69

l\I/~

~/!'

N/!'

569

389

180

1.39 3
4i .;5i1iI6'

1.31 7

76

39

38

1

3.898 916













6 18 '305















38546

23904









:9i4i

1.849 1,703

146

sci] 4.900 4.188

7 12

i .846 ( 3'39

Ema n u el
.~Y~ f1.s
Fulton "

1. P
29.041

~? 9,266

G lynn

N/A

N/A

Grad y

.. .....1.86.. .. .. .1.70 . ...

Gwj ~ ~eti .. ..

3. 159 3,5 10

1.5

.7? 4

~(>2.. 1)2,

15

H? 9

?5~

195..

N/A

+

+

+ 41 .354 37.276 N/A

70.395 46,542

N/A

13.009 11.959 1.0 50

472

N/A N/A

13,481 11.9 59

16 81 6

..

..

. ..

~ (68.2 1.9 0 0

..

.

..

1..5~? 2.078

..

..

..

.. ?5 .. 827

.

....6,04; 36....5)8316.. 3

15 '3 7..

..



..

;

1.91 4 i .o'72....

1,7 8 8 i (374..

.1?6
N/A
1,0 50
126 5,280

Ha b e r sh am
. ~.a.I!
Hou ston
jack son

408
6,.1.65 5.907 1.20 2

322
5..8~~ ..
5.552
N/A

86
1!28.1 355 327

3,123
? /9.5 11 ,8 3 5
6.636

3.023
.7. 35.4
11 .8 20
N/A

100

85

52

33

351

1.'.~~ 1 1!2!l6 ?q?

337

73 4

76 1 543

563

153

N/A

50

3 . 6 16
l ?!?~ 1
18,4 76
7.991

3,397
! .~. 5.q8
18 . 13 3
N/A

2 19
? !13.4 1.235
940

.Jeff .Qa.vis. . . je ffer son

........................... ............

. ..... .... . .....

589

5 73

16

1.14 4 1.083

61

79

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .

60

19

1.81 2 1.716

96

jenkin s

163

13 1

32

1,4 34 1,411

23

39

28

11

1.636 1.570

66

Libe rty

2 .8 8 4

N/A

N/A

7,298

N/A

N/A

270

N/A N/A

10,452

N/A

N/A

Longt N/A N/A N/Ii. '2;200" .. .N/A N/A j i 'N/A N/A' i,il'i N/A' N/Ii.

Lownd e s " t
'MMci'rlinet;o sh

N/A

N/A

N/A

34,313 34.867

N/A

679

439 240

34.992 35,306

240

N/A '1' ; ;'''

Ni o/As .

~/(\
12

6P~
1.09 8

6!22? 1.0 8 0

~39. ..
18

.6 6

~

5

?!!.8s.. ~,?30

?4.~

4

2

1.221

1 .1 8 9

32

Mitch ell
'PMleurscceog' ee

27 1

22 4

47

1.50 7 1,360

14 7

,'.'. . .

. . . . ..... ...... .... .... ... .. .

42

21

21

1.820 1.60 5

2 15

. ..

. ..

Putn am

144

N/A

RRoicchkmdioJined 3.997 .

582

Screve n
'SStpeapldheinngs'"

4 94

4 40

54

1.56 5 1.496

69

77

45

32

2,136 1.981

15 5

'668' 467 .. ..io' ;;64'3 ili) 2io .. f2J.. 9; .. ..'3i" i',i134 .. ( 38; ..45'3

Sumt er
.Tallr'!a ll Thom as Tift To o m b s
' T ; ~ i le n
Troup Wal ker
.w.a re

4 64
2l?? 1 .29 8 3,749

428
1.62 1 ,2 71 2,634

36
19} 27
1,11 5

'296' i84.. 12 ..

4.29 5 4.08 7

208

110

96

14

.

1.51 7 1,25,7 3,762 8.204
3;82'0 '"
9 .722 5 .520

1.41 9 ),20.~ . 3.556 6.89 1
3>i6
7,040 5. 125

98 .. . .4?
206 1,313
24'
2.682 395

46

15

31

1.11

14

~ !.

124

54

70

126

67

58

17 . 17

o

383

27 1 112

155

50 105

2,027 1l >} L 5. 184 12.079
4.13 3 14 ,400
5.7 85

1.862
1.,4.44 4.88 1 9. 592

165
1~.Q
303
2,486

. 4.09 7" " . . .. 3'6

11.398 5.27 1

3,002 5 14

23

State Court Cascload, Calendar \'car 1995 (number of defendants)

Coun ty
Washinglon' Wayne wort h
Total

Misdemeanor Filed Disposed Open

N/A

N/A

401

3 62

439

68

126 ,94 2 93,1 29 16,058

Traffic Filed Disposed Open

Civil Filed Disposed Open

269

32

124

128

896

25

331,942 273,247 32,647 146,141 116 ,632 32,662

Total Filed Disposed Open
605 ,025 483,008 81 ,367

Nole: 52 of 65 state courts submitted case load da ta as of January 13, 1997 .
1"1Caseload data not submitted as o f 1/1 3/9 7.
IN/AI Dala e lements not ava ilable.
1'1 Cherok ee/Forsyth is a c ircuit-wide state cour\. Filings are combined for Cherokee and Forsyth Counties: disposition data is from
Forsyth County only.
1'1 Misdemea nor and Ira ffic filings combined and shown under Iraffic category. [+I Traffic filings ha ndled in magislrate court.

24

------------ j uvenilc Courts ------------
T he pu rpose of our juvenile cour ts is to protect th e well-b eing of children, provide guidance and control conducive to child welfare and the best int erests of the state, and secure care for childr en remo ved from their homes.
T he exclusive, origina l jurisdiction of juvenil e cour ts extends to delinquent and unruly children under the age of 17, and depri ved children un der th e age of 18 . Juvenile cour ts have concurren t jurisdiction with su perior courts in cases involving cap ital felonies, custody and child su pport cases, and in proceedings to term inate parent al rights. However, th e superior cour t now has juri sdiction over juveniles who conun it cer tain violent felonies. In ad dition, th e juvenile cour t has juri sdiction over min ors committing traffic viola tions or enlisting in th e milit ar y services, consent to marriage for min ors, and cases involving the Interstate Compact on Juv eniles. Most cases app ealed from th e juvenil e COUI'tS ar e heard by the Court of Appeals.
There are 52 full - and part-time separa te juvenil e cour t jud ges serving 104 coun ties. In all other counties, super ior cour t judges hear ju venil e cases . In addition , 35 associa te juvenile court jud ges serve in 46 counties. T he qu alificati ons for associate ju dges ap point ed aft er July 1, 1994 , ar e the same as those for juvenile court judges. Any associa te ju dges appoint ed before th at da te are requ ired to ha ve been admi tt ed to th e State Bar or have gra dua ted from law school.
Juvenile court ju dges are a ppoin ted by the superior cour t ju dges of th e circuit to four-year terms. (T he juvenile cour t judge of Floyd Coun ty is th e only electcd juvenil e court judge.) Jud ges must be at least 3 0 years of age, have pra cticed law for five years and have lived in Georgia for three years. Full-t ime judges cannot pr actice law whil e holding office.
Filings and disp ositions are presented [or those juvenile courts submitting caseload dat a to the Administrative Office of the Courts.
25

Juvenile Co ur t Ca seload , Calendar- Year 1995 (number of ch ild ren)

Count y

Delinquent

I

Unruly

I Deprived

I

Traffi c

I I Special Proceedings

Grand Totals

Filed Disposed Open Filed Disposed Open Filed Disposed Open Filed Disposed Open Filed Disposed Open Filed Disposed Open

Appling

Atki nson

20 20

0

5

5

0 15 15

0

9

9

0 13 13

0

Baco n B'ak~

49 ...~-? .... . 8 .. 13......1.3 ...... ! . 15 .. ..1.9 . .. ...0 .....1?.. ... 12.. .... 9 . 0

0

0

1

1

0

0

0

0 20 20

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Baldw in

322 359 42 3 1 43

0 106 138 11 128 132 21 21 27

0

B.anks. . . . 4.~ 42 18 ! .1 1.1

9 16 ..1.~ ..2. 23 15 !9

0

0

0

Barrow

503 477 52 9 5 93

3 49 26 76 118 118

3

0

0

3

Bartow

593 567 26 393 369 24 248 232 16 262 253

9 192 176 16

Ben Hill Berrien

20 1 2.~-?

! 24 ~.2

9

6

9 ..2. 1 ~ 10

3

ql

0

73 25 15 43 14

4 33 18

7 27 25

3

0

0

0

Bibb

B1 eck ley Braritiey" Brooks

48 50

6

0

0

0

3

646.5 8 25 2'3' .. 2 .. ' i 4

i".2s ......1i ..

7 12

7 i 2"

o O

.3i

3
"0

BB'ruyllaonch

135 143 233 ' 2"40 '

i30f '

66 if3'

70 79 '

11 8'

3293'

34"33

1T0

57 '6 5 '

5636'

1'i1

0 ';2

...

.0:3

00

62

62

0

89 .......8? .. . . 9

21

21

0

608

699

74

9.9 . . . . .. 83

~O.

765

714

137

1,68 8 1,59 7

91

2~.4

2.9?

6.

176

82

29

61

62

7

i i"6 .. 'l iS' " ' l i

'429i 21"

'34 1i 82 "

62 "3 ;2"

Burke

270 313 158

8

6

5 39 33 13 13 18

5

0

0

0

330

370

181

.(, Butts

164 146

Ca lh~ ~;; " " " " "6 " ' "

1083(1;236 08804508 206 10310300 00 00 00 29i22...2.4i02' "

52 0

Camden
CCaarn'fdollei r

257 24 1 16 128 119

9 59 58

1 28 28

0 9 1 88

3

563

53 4

29

33 28

~

~

6'.'

'6.'

6
~

0;.' 24'.' 3'3.'

2
~

2;.' 2

0
~

0
~

0;.' 0'.'

6'5';

69;.' . 8.

Catoosa

135 111 24 93 85

8

~ ~ a ~ h ~.n

69 ~l,l

~ 1.5 1.5

0

Chatham 2,7 36 2.325 411 730 571 159

Chattahooc hee 23 14 22

1

0

1

Chatt? '?ga....... 5.3

Cherokee

535

..

...50.... . J
377 158

.
..

i

7 7"6



..

5 igcj

..

..

727"

35 32

3 69 68

00

.? 5 J

?5 9 q0

654 524 130 799 72 1 78 57 43

0

0 10

0

0

1 11 11

i 4390.. ..i62i2 .... 88 i ..9 )647.. .9 .i 445.. 1202 .. ii184 .. ..a10i

0

332

296

0

9.6

9L

14 4.9 76 4.184

9

35

25

4

20 1

182

4 7" .... i;55;i .. .. (068

36
6 792
43
19 " 484

Clarke

460 348 112 255 199 56210 162

Clay

12 14

1 13 13 0 14 14

Clayl;),; ..... .2ji 'cj ' ) '.249 " " 585'" '484 '" 8'70" . ,.i7" i;068" i;)4'i

48 133 1 28 5 27 15 12 1.08 5

852

233

0

7

7

0

1

1

0

47

49

1

'lii '" '756' '2;752 ' " 1i ';i ' " ii i " .iiS.... 44 s.i 49 ' " ..1i;428.. .. .. 949 '

Clinch

40 35

5 13

8

5 35 32

3

8

8

0

1

1

0

97

84

13

Cobb
C~lfre"

.....

..3..5i 7021

"2.,.5461i

....9,.6i 00....

79(;14..

637 .. j '7"

"12547

'1''.0'

8i 53"

..86..97..

2..184 ..1",91'0265

'"

1.580 22

"38454.. ..3"510"

..2.5.01

..

.1.00.. 0

...

.7~?? 1.. 357

..

.. 5 .8 7l,l.. 128

..

.1.,?? 3. 229

Colquitt

340 328 12 153 149

4 53 51

2 58 58

0 54 46

8

65 8

632

26

CCooolukm.b..i.a

..

..

341030

"

.i44,.9)

..

'8677

"

.2.1305....2i190

"

...'66 '"

"

i263"

....2.21..





253 ..

..1"6356....1'6i 07'

..

14 9







0 0

.....

.00 '

"

..o0 ' ..... "8391i1 .... ..824701.... ..'1'9207'

Coweta
Ctrr'iaswp'ford

657 623 34 266 266

0 330 329

1 185 185

0

6

6

0 1,4 44 1,409

. 35

..342'90 " .j1so7..i3i8' .. 20i .... i0j " ...'01'" "6157 ' ... 796 '

11 9

'"

482'408

'

.

..

.100











1 6

..

. . . .04....i2

.... '4i4lj7 ... ... 5026;.... ... "632i '

Dade

63 60

3 14 13

1 24 19

5

6

5

1 11 11

0

118

10 8

10

Dawson
Decai ~~ ' " ' '

i

7871

"

.,.2708

..

5.37

"

.. 3i '3i

..



15 '1'"'

'

18i'" ")180"

324

"48 '"

..3432

'

15 42

'

17

1

1 . .,.

1i" '" ..o0

'i17571"

zs6e1 .. '9''6) '

DeKalb

7.29 1 5.816 1,4 75 1.71 7 1.59 9 118 1.275 1.137 138 1.668 1.584 84 207 145 62

Dodge Dooly" ' . . .

82 96 "

88

6

. . 89 36' "

5

5

.. 23 '1'8"

"

'i

0i



'

12 .58"

9 49









,.65

284







30 . . 5"

i1



8 " 0"

6 0







..

02

12.1 58 135 i 8'1

10.281 1,877

138

14

''' 6 i' ' . '66'

Dougherty 1,53 5 1,461 74 160 142 18 233 214 19 332 311 21 17 17

0

2.277 2. 145

132

EDao'r1uyglas....







632 E i6





4199i 8 .5. 1s5..2..

12 6







1 .6.96 .1. 60 .3. 1..317

61 'j

124 180 ..0 .... 15



171 i 4



81 1





11 0







6 0 ..

270





..1.1i

66 24



..





905 ;ii 8......

910 .. 6

Echols

9

8

1

5

5

0 10 12

0

4

0

4

0

0

0

28

25

5

EEifbfienig-ih"am

175 165 13 66 69 9'9" . ,.03 (,' " .. i l .. ,.0

T0

21 i 7"

25

1

i'4 .. 4

138 2 i







137 ii"



..



..01 "

0 0

"

0 0

o0 '

400

396

' i 48 .. . ,.48

1i 5i'

Em anu el
FEva'annnsi'n '

68 58 14

4

3

1 22 23

3

1

0

1

3

1

4

98

9'2'; 91:.' 12'.'.. 36 33 " 4. . 26 24,,,,,,'6';' ' 29;.'.,,,3,'1.' , 1 0 0. '.0'.' ,,,,,..1,8,'3';'

85

23

,1'7.9;.',,,,.. ,2.3;.'

Fa yelle Floyd.. .. Forsyth
Franklin Fu lton G i lme~

48 8 455 33 204 183 21 263207 56370343 27

5

5

0 1.330 1.19 3

13 7

... 6i7569

"

..i57760.. ..83(;

...4i 8328"

'"

3i 8802 ....

.5. 6i ...3.3.519..

..264'17

.. ,7.i0"

38 4 " 1'5 4 "

.. 3,.3s92

..4..i5

.. ..1z1 7o '

..10io5....

.1.o2 '

....

.1,9 2 9 '69'1'

. ..

1.663 .. . 669......

"26i 6i '

73 80 20 12 13

4 35 41 18 25 17 14

0

3

1

8.503 8.600 3,627 1.813 1,84 3 9 19 2,088 1.890 908 1,44 2 1.213 585 1.01 2 849 607

4.0 33 .7. 1? 1.~

? .37 ,2,4 1) 24 ?3

1

1

'?

1

145
14 .8 58
~ !~

154 14,39 5
95

57
6.6 46
~4 .

26

Juvenile Court Caseload, Calendar Year 1995 (nu mber of ch ild re n)

County

Delinquent

I

Unrul y

I

Deprived

I

Traffic

I I Special Proceedings

Grand Total s

Filed Disposed Open Filed Disposed Open Filed Disposed Open Filed Disposed Open Filed Disposed Op en Filed Disposed Open

Gla scock

9

9

1

7

7

o1

o1

5

3

2

ooo

Glyn n

820 770 50 253 233 20 112 112

o 236 22 1 15

6

6

o

Gordon
Grad y l27" Ii s i 2 12 ' i" i 42366i 22"Ii O0 0

22

19

4

1,427 1,34 2

85

203 i i33 i o

Green e

114 139 30

9 15

0 33 30

5 25 26

7

2

3

0

18 3

2 13

42

Gwi nnett
H a~'sh~~ '

"

2,17"4j062,118i 5j

.

.

.

55 5 .. j 1



1 ,3 9i97

9'6256"

.

.4.3.4489643







780 42







1'i1o4

2.,.0.5728

1,89 3 . &'2

'

.

.

165 . 10





5.008 4301

4 51











7,599 .29"2









6,25 24

4 j



1,313 '76'

Ha ll

845 768 77 275 255 20 185 171 14 441 428 13 13

9

4 1,759 1,631

128

v : Hancock
H ara i~~ "

"

.. .. '6725'"

19340

4i 13









0 48

'"

'1"

0 9"

0

7

. . .i o 29"

70 9"5 i j

0 i

1 45

'







0 O





3 "j









i 90 6i

.i

82 62













42 46 ij







47 "ji3'

Ha rris

68 15 79 23 3 27 10 11 16 40 22 31 15 10 21

156

Ha rt

66 62 41

4

3

2 22 27

8 25 18

8

1

1

0

118

Heard 6i 50 io j i i 5 2 ") i 4 i 4 0 0 00 83

61

174

111

59

.. '6i " .. .'is

Henr y

467 462

5 280 280

0 143 143

0 76 76

0

0

0

0

966

,7" .. ... Houston
irwin











1,4 "5js0 1,40i 1i"





43 i 4"



873
3i

860
i f

12 614 590 21
j;" iii ., .... .

39

8s388s

02







9
'o

72
.... 0 0 ' "

3 ,3 4 4 . . . . 93

96 1

5

3,246

80

51 '4i

jac kson

283 267 48 137 140

2 34

} ~ ~~ jeff Davis

~O 4) lq 6 ~
83 81 9 37 38

2 ;3q
5 18

jefferson

95 91

4

4

4

0 92

jenk ins
joh'ri so~ "

"

"

'"

'3458"

..5300

48"

"

..

18 26

17 26

011i 57

'

32 14 9 7 87 16

2

0

4

1.~ 1.3 14 1.4

3

2. . .3

q . ..

18

2 33 32

7

0

0

0

80 12

8

8

0

0

0

0

22 1i





241i 561i 54











2 0







0 "j











0 3







..

o0

553

526

84

.. ~~

7~. . . 28

171

169

23

19 9

183

16

86

83

i 0 7 . i os



1. i3l'

jone s

56 79 33

9 15

2 23 16 14 29 37

3

4

8

0

121

155

52

.L.~,!,.~r Lan ier

1 .~9 1.~~ 2f>. ~. 1 P

4 .!.1 f>.~ L ~? J 1 ~ 0

9q

76 72

4 16 16

0 20

0 20 15 14

10

0

0

27.7

~ 19

y

127

10 2

25

Lauren s

336 319 20 253 203

5 60 50 20 105 90 10

0

0

0

754

662

55

Lee

175 160 15 52 50

2

8

8

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

23 5

2 18

17

Uberty 608 ' " '604"" ' i i 3' " 'i 7"9' " i i s'55' " ' i 86' " iili '45' " '140' " i 30 f i 0 00 (if3 l ;l il7" "2.30'

lincoln Long
lowndes'

21 18

9

2

2

0

2

1

1 19 17

2

0

0

0

25 26

2 20 22

2

3'8i' .. "NiX ' .Niil. i 08 ' . . "NiA" ..'NiX

14
7

14
Nili.

3
"NiA"

, 1i i4

14 0
Niil. . Nili.

0

0

"NiA" .. 'NiX

0
N/I\.

44

38

12

73

76

7

6Q<j . . . . 'NiX ' . 'NiX

Lum pk in

118 9 7 63 53 52 38

Macon
Ma'd i'~ri "

"

"

" 1'0605"

..9602 i120 " 167.105 62"

44 35 24 13 10 6 3

2 46









2 65









206

305



.305











0 0







.

'00"

30
00..o0

23 1

19 7 131

1i 5183.'1i 6027" ' " ..

16 50

Mario n McDuffi e Mc'lrlto'sii ' "
Mer iweth er Miller M'iiche if

18

2 32

4

1

1'5789"

..157243i 21 "

21 . . 3"7" ' "

21 j il"

9380 ' '930il'

0 0

10 10 '1'2 '1' i

3

4

4

9

5

1

5

2

2

3

511i 87 i19i" 0i ..'5432"' " .5381 ' 125.100 100c0

0 i'

455 '

5 3'2

, 0j ' 1i 32"

13 i '2

'00 ' j1'

1 3

0 0

33

10

52

279

273

44

i 56 i s i 2)"

i i5o9 'i 5569'

i 04'

Monro e

109 111 16 62 59 14 60 49 36 8 1 76 23

4

2

2

3 16

297

91

Montgomery 14 13

1

1

10

3

12

5

4

10

0

0

23

19

4

Morgan 68 M i s 4 il 030 i ii ") 4i 38 fo i s 9i i i 59 'i 67" ' " 40

Murray

167 442 32 170 171 40 108 190 23 52 128 14 22 52

2

5 19

983

111

Muscogee 1,926 1,60 0 326 745 586 159 480 194 286 337 28 1 56 226 61 165 3,7 14 2,722

992

"Newton ...7"40 ' " 1i i i 8 " ' 301' " 294" " ' i 3' " "Jig" 3"1"1 '18" . f s i i 45 6 255" . 'i h" .2"i ' . .. .(782 "i.705 77

Oconee

195 16 7 66 35 17 21 21 17 30 59 62 16

0

4

1

Oglethorpe

28 28

9

2

2

19

9

7 12 12

0

0

0

0

Pauid irig 2i9" .sj i" 57 ' " i 4'f ' " 266" " 'i 639 81'If ' . . ''7i ' ' 'i82 f os'i i ' " .. (;

310

267

134

51
489



"Lo5B1i

'10167'

Pea ch

91 74 38

3

1

2 17 14 16

5

4

1 38 28 28

154

12 1

85

rr: :: Picken s

22 10 12 113 49 64 37 14 23 16 16

0

3

3

0

19 1

92

99

Pierce .. . . 60 s 7"

2j 'i i" .. ..324" 2j 4 45 4f 8 '0" .. ..0 0 i5i ' 42" 'i i;'

Pike

58 56

2 20 18

2 37 37 0 11 11 0

0

0

0

126

12 2

4

Polk Pulasl<i"

















4579S



93665

9i"61



1602

382i



204



1021





1932





970

4i o1



89
8



8
i





27i

36i







06 798"80 1,-673i6l



.2'2i 68

Putnam

95 99

8

Q uitman

7

7

0

R<iburi "30 2i .. 8

5

7

0 67 60 11

6

6

0

4

4

0

0

0

0

4

4

0

7

7

0

0

0

0

'8' '7 -; 23 2 1 (, 16 i 5 T -;- ;- .. . 0

177

176

19

18

18

0

78 '

66 i6

Rand o lph

68 60

8

4

4

0 13 12

1 29 28

1

0

0

0

1 14

104

10

Rich mond 1,830 1,77 5 55 329 327

2 133 131 2 425 165 260 250 158 92 2,967 2,556

411

.R <?C ~~~ I ~

~.~~ ~2 7 6! 1.9 1.7 .2. ..123 1q4 1.9 256 20(j 5q 1.74 1.61. . 13

96 6

815. 151

27

Juvenile Court Caseload, Calendar Year 1995 (number of children)

County

Delinquent

I

Unruly

I

Deprived

I

Traffic

I I Special Proceedings

Grand Totals

Filed Disposed Open Filed Disposed Open Filed Disposed Open Filed Disposed Open Filed Disposed Open Filed Disposed Open

Schley

20 15

5 10

8

2

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

31

24

7

Screve n

76 78

4 28 28

3 18 14

7 26 23

5

0

0

0

148

143

19

sSepmaldiniorigle .. . s9s2i

89

3

1

10

0

0

0 26 24

2

0

0

0

.s3i 60 ' " i 2"9 ' " d o i9' " "365 ' " 334"3 i 75is o 55..o

..

..

i

.

i1619s

i

114
;055





,

5
io'

Step hens
SS'tuemwtaerrt'

120 97 27 25 22

4 56 27 30 44 38

6

2

0

4

4'5108 " "31960602

i c.1i31

10 '18' 0'

i 31'

205

is0

'00 ' o0'

00

'00' 0if

00'

00

247

184

71

66298

'59265'

733'

Talb ot
TTaatliinafaelriro

15

2 29

0

0

0 10

3 26

2

0

3 12

9 17

"(1391 '

.

.

14 '1"35'

1 3'1"

550" 's0i"

90'

460 ' 470"

0i

ji1"

1 3'5 '

" 0j"

0i " 0i'

00

39

14

75

ii132 'i 7105" " 501'

Taylor
TTeelrfraeHir '

28 10 36

4

0

6 15

5 46 14

3 18

: : 2"8l3f " i o68i" 1i s8 i87 "3760i" 41"17 433 84 3100 8 j2

4

1

7

65

19

113

00 0000 311i1i jo8i6l 'i248'

Thoma s

380 325 55 90 31 59 94 90

4 82 65 17 11 11

0

657

522

135

Tift

505 416 89 55 48

7 49 13 36 105 101

4

0

0

0

714

57 8

136

Toomb"sY.:i4..14!;" 20 0 T i .. ..5"7 59 IT 4"3 ..1.. ..0.. ti 0 205 'i oil " 35'

Tow ns

18 11

7

4

2

2

7

4

6 14 14

0

0

0

0

43

31

15

Treut len

32 31

4 17 17

1

7

6

3 35 32

6

1

1

0

92

87

14

Tro~p" " " " " NiA' " 'Ni;":" 'NiA" 'NiA'" NiA' " 'NiA'" 'NiA" 'NiA'" NiA' " 'NiA'" 'NiA'" NiA ' " NiA' " 'NiX" NiA(8i3 NiX'NiA'

Turner

85 85

0 14 14

0

6

6

0 62 62

0

1

1

0

168

168

0

is.. .. Twiggs

56 54 14 17 17 1 18 13 12 6

Union 55.. 38.. ' 28 '" ..,.7.. .1'5 .. .... 5.. .. 36 8.. .. .:if ..

6
2"2









0
.:i

..

..

.1.01......1o1..







0
0













10 8
i 3j













101
.. 83"







"

27
80'

Upso n

379 35 1 28 58 55

3 119 98 21 44 39

5

0

0

0

600

543

57

Wa lker

239 233

6 155 155

0 77 71 6 151 151

0 18 18

0

640

628

12

Walia" 705 " ..66639 " 3813'Si" ' " i 9 70 6i 'il' " '133" " i 25 '8' " W,g' " 14326 ( 458"(348 ', i o'

Ware

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

9 74

N/A N/A

Warren
Wash irigi~ n '

i9192 ' "

15142....

52s

1j

..





1 f

00..164 .. .1.63 .. 01.. 08.. 08 ..09 ..00...... 0000 i"3l5i

'

634i

'5125'

Wa yne

158 9 1 67

2

1

1 40 13 27 44 44

0

3

2

1

247

151

96

WWheebestieer.-



2 '1';7"'

"

i o2 00 00 00

00375i 2i 040500 00 0000 2"94i

i7

2i '

Wh ite

81 62 34 49 43 13 15 11 25 29 25

8

1

1

2

175

142

82

Whitfield
W i ico~" "

"

"

" 56z8s"

.5.6i 43.. 13i3s 29..46.. 3.0.5573i.. 21i i5 2.6.08.."734i ....4.5.745..133 374228025t6i 6601,76428 .. 1,8"9398...... "38532"

Wilke s Wilkinso n Worth
Total

81 71 20 12 9

55 66 18 25 25

49 30 19

10

58,698 54,211 12,352117,628 16,525

353 4 64 67 1 12 10
3,355115,548 14,100

2 29 27 143 2 37 17
3,772117,919 18,236

70

13

20

0

2,725 14,604

0 3 0
3,927

0

127

0

151

0

99

I 1,540 117,194

110 164
57
106,999

32 24 42
23,744

Note : 152 o f 159 co unties reported caseload data as of Janu ary 13, 199 7.
IJ Case load data not submitted.
INIAl Data e leme nts not ava ilabl e.

28

- - - - - - - - - - - Probate Cour ts - - - - - - - - - - -
County prob at e cour ts exercise exclusive, original jurisdiction in th e pr obat e of wills, administration of estates, appoin tm ent of guardians and involuntary hospitalizati on of incapacitated adults and other depend ent individuals.
Wh en pr ovided by local statu te, probate jud ges serve as election su perin ten dent and make appointments to certain public offices. All pr obate cour t jud ges administer oaths of office an d issue marriage licenses. T hey may hold habeas corpus hearings or preside over criminal prelimin ary hearings. In coun ties where ther e is no state cour t, proba te court s may also hear tra ffic eases and violat ions of state gam e an d fish law s unl ess a jury tri al is requested.
In coun ties with popula tion grea ter than 96 ,00 0, where th e pro ba te ju dge has practiced law for at least seven years, a par ty to a civil ea e ha s th e right to a jury trial in th e pr obate cour t if assert ed by a written demand with th e first pleading. App eals from such eivil ca es ma y be to th e Supreme Court or Cour t of App eals depending on th e particular matter.
Most pr obat e court judges arc elected to four -year terms in coun tywide, partisan elections. Fulton , DeKalb and Bart ow Counti es hold non partisan election . Beginning with the 199 6 election, 23 ad ditional coun ties will hold non partisan elections. A can didate for jud ge of the probat e cour t must be at least 25 years of age. a high school gr ad ua te, a U.S. citizen and a county re idem for at least two years pr eceding th e election. In coun ties with population over 96 ,000, candidates must hav e additional qualifications as to age and practice of law .
Filings and dispositions are presented [or those probate courts sub mitting caseload data to the Administrative Offi ce of the Courts.
29

Probate Court Crhulnul Caseload, Fiscal Year 1996 (dockct entrles)

Co unty

Misdem eanor

Filed

Dispo sed

Tra ffic

Filed

Dispo sed

Tolal Caseload

Filed

Dispo sed

Atkin son Ba c on Baker
B'~ ~ k ~ " " ' "

'1"37" '100 '684 6'98 82",

"798

Barrow

0

0

~.art~.\Y. . .

.

4 69

~~.~

Ben Hill

Be rrien B.I ~.~I~y' Brantl e y

.

o.

0. .

89

89

Bulls

1 79

154

Ca lhoun
ca ~ d~~

......................

..

'l"jj'

.
139

Catoosa ~h~r1.t~.n ~ Chattahooc hee

.

o

o .. .. . . . .. .

C lay

~ ~ ~~ Co o k

Craw fo rd

Cbraidspe "

if " .. 0..

3,9 70 ~ ,~~~

3,9 70 ?! 8.~~

~ ,07.5 1, 13 3 2,3 12
3,65 4
. 1,734.. ..

f.! ).~9 1,133 2,2 67
4 ,714
... 1/ .56

.

3 ,97 0 M9.~
) lP.~
1,22 2 2,49 1
3,787
. . . .. . 1r!3 .4 .

3,9 70

~,.2.~2

.

2.,.1.5 ~

.

1 ,2 2 2

2 ,42 1

4 ,85 3

. . .1..7.~6

.

"i;5i 8

i,s28

i ;siB..

i :si if

Dawson

Dodge Dool y
Dou gla s
E..c.h.o..ls. . ..... ... ...
Fan n in Fa yell e f)~y~ Frank lin Gilme r G lasco ck
G~;d~ ~ "





.





.. . ... . '1' i 7' i '18' '818 80;"93'5 919

37

46

1,9 5 5

2, 0 45

1,99 2

2,09 1

O

q





3(9) 2

~ !63. ~

~ /n .~

.. . . . .3A~ 4

.

"ig

49 "i;958 j,93i j ;99;7 3,9lii

G ra dy C; reen~b Han cock
Hara lson
Har ris Ha rt Heard ~ enry Irwi n
Ja sper !<;>~!1.~0f.l Jon e s Lama r
LLiaInurieerns

49
1.77.
38
0.. . . 1 74
4 ~?
285
.
12

108 15,7 . .. . .. .. . . ..
38
q... .
149 4
?9
285

0 .. .. 1. ,4 ~.1
1,5 47 ~,29 ~
990 188 ~ (~ ~~
97 6

24

3, 2 4 8

0 ) J3.~L
1,56 5 ~ !~ L
890 188 '" 8!2.1.4
9 73
2,1 4 3

49 1,6 3.8
1,58 5 }r??8 1,164
192 9 !~4.~
1,26 1
3, 260

'143'" .. ....... .87 5;098 4) aj s;i4'j

10 8 1. ,.~m .

1,60 3
~,P~ 3 ..
1 ,0 3 9 19 2

8 ,? ? 3

.



1, 2 58

2,167

4,870"

Lee Linco ln
i.~ ~ p ki ~

~ .............. ........... ........ .... ....~

~

.

Maco n
MMaadrioisnohn"

4 64

223

9 69

749

00 591 5;76

1,433

9 72

S~i1 " " " " "

'576'

.

McD uffie

0

0

3, 4 49

3,323

3 ,4 49

3 ,323

MMeornirwoeet.h.er ...... .. ..1892C>" .... ...... i 9852 .... .... ......' 24,;443177" .... ...... i 2i,,911066 .. .. .. .. .. j 42;,649i 79 ...... 1'23,,021818 .. .. ..

Montgomer y Mor gan Mu rra y Newton

o

o

2,35 1

2,3 43

2,35 1

2,343

30

Probate Court Criminal Ca seload, Fiscal Year 1996 (d ocke t en tr ies)

County

Misdeme anor

Filed

Disposed

Traffic

Filed

Disposed

Total Caseload

Filed

Disposed

O c o nee Og lethorpe P.~l!!~~,:,g Peach" Pickens Pike
'P~ lk ' "
Pulaski Qu ilman
R~b~~

0 28 9 .1
0
82' "
26 4
;

0

5.Ql 5

28

751

1.~

?, 3 ?~

0

1,8 29

6i 2;970

25 5

96 1

~

~

5,0 15 753
1. ,.3.~ ~ 1,8 29

5,0 15

5,0 15

779

78 1

~!~.5? .

. . .1. (~ ~ ~

.

1 ,8 2 9

1 ,8 29

i ,593 3,()5:2 ":2;654' "

961

1,22 5

1,21 6

~

~

;.

Rando lph

587

1,16 7

2,39 1

5, 102

2,9 78

6,269

~~ Seminol e

~

54

43

1,63 9

. 1,557

1,69 3

1,600

Slewart

Tal b o l b
Tafiafe;~o

'

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

0. .

.

.

.

. ...0. .

... . .... 2,04.5 . . . . .. .. .. 2)J7? . .. "

2 ,076....

Taylor "

18

22

2,248

2, 176

2,266

2 ,198

!E;I.f~!~ Terrell

O

9

100

88

q 5~ 3 ,271

1 ., ?~9 3 ,337

) , 2? 9 3, 3 71

1. r:2 ~ ~

.

3,4 25

Thomas

49

45

0

0

49

45

.T.o.w. .n.s.. .. ... . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .1.1.7.... ..... .. ... .. . .9.9......... ...... .... ..2.3..1... .. . . . . . . . . . . .1.9.0. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. .4.8. . . .. . .. ... .....2.8.9.. . . ... . .

Turn er

0

0

5 ,176

3 ,52 1

5, 176

3, 521

Twiggs

19

19

1,107

1,107

1,126

1,1 26

l!n.i~.~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

~6 ?

Upro n

.3.1.8 . . . .

65.1

"

~~? . . . . . .

.. I Pl. ~. . .

. 95 ? .

Wa lton

117

108

4,630

4,213

4,74 7

4 ,3 21

Wa rren c

w~b5i ~ "

"

"

"

"

'"

0;

0

44 5

340

44 5

340 .

Wheeler c While b
Whilfi'~ ld " " ' "
Wilco x Wilk es \yi !~!':'~!1

20

20

311

350 00

i 0s" i 6:5i"4184



40

48

806

}~

P

} ~.~

3 11
io.2i'8i34
823 3) ~

33 1
i O,5i"4498 .
8 46 ~.~9

33 1

283



0 .

10,149

871

Yj~

.

Total

4,923

4,888

134,812

131,563

139,735

136,451

Nole: 53 probate cou rts with crimi nal [urisdiction submitted case load da ta for fisca l year 199 6.
I"' Caseloa d data nol sub mitted,
Da ta from ca lendar year 19 95 . b Reported three quarlers. c Reported two q uarters. d Misdemeano r a nd lra ffi c filings are combined .

31

Probate Cou r t Civil Ca seload, Fiscal Year 1996 (docket en tr ies)

County

No

Administration

Probate

Year's

Habeas

Administration Nece ssary Common Solemn Guardianship Support Hospitalization Corpus

Total Civil

Ucenses Marriage Pistol

Appling' Atkinson
.. Bacon
'B a k ~

13

.

~

3

o

22

10

2

10

o

60

214

19 8

~

~

~

;. '

.

.... . . .

Baldwin

37

.~ a n ~s

1.9

Barrow

37

Bartow

78

.B. e..n.H. .i.ll. . . . .

Berrien



Bibb

90

BBr1aercikilleeyy

j 77

2

2

0

3

2

8

0

.





23

19

0l

01

87

33

2?

..1.0

93

64

23 4

55





10

73

~

~

7

33

11

78





0

243

340

542

0

?~

!.~

).qL

0

239

268

333

0

46 4

546

789

.





424

118

52

29

0

755

1,529

996

3161

<3j 02





0 0

0 0

6270

1i 02"44

12654.

Brooks
'BBuryilaonchb'
Burke Bulls
c~i ho~n '

'242i ....... .

10

.

'21' ..

. .. 1. . . . . . . 4

20 . . 29

151

60

. . ..... ..... ..2... ..... 40 .

24

2 . . ..... .1.4... ..... ... ..0.... ..... ..9.0. . .. .

89

2

40

0

299

499

. ..... ..7...... .. .....9.. ....

. o .

93

.130

102 .
270
. 184

Camden

21

24

19

6

o

o

72

40 5

169

.C.a.n..d.l.e.r.... ... .. ..... .. ... ..... ... .. .. .. ..... ..... ..... ..... .. .. ..... .... ...... ..... .... .... ...... ..... ... .. .... ... .. ...... ... . ..... . .. . .... . .. .. .. ... ..... ...

Carroll

72

8

6

209

72

12

o

o

379

666

52 1

Catoosa

CChhaairhltlolmn' 2"117i

"j i1;

1 26

53247"" i i1i4 i91

i 493 00 i j6i 11 i",5il6O0i (29266

Chattahoochee

~~:~:;a

5~

~

1~ i 70 64 )"3 . 2"9

0 "j72" 585 iij)

Clarke

56

11

4

182

11 7

9

67

0

446

773

558

Clay
c::[ayiciri 89 i 9 8 299 345 54 53 2 869 T,935 Uti"

C linc h" ~C?~.~ Coffee Colquin"
~C?lurn ~ia
Coo k
Coweta
CCrriSa,wfJ'ford

8

2

..1.7 ~

2~

26

5

15

6





34

4

~ . ......... .;.'

0

15

10

1

0

0

36

50

24

2.8

9?2.

55.8

.?2

4.8

~3

!,B!.~

4/~ ~.~

3l3.1L

0

72

12

4

0

0

11 9

399

195

2

81

10

0

12

0

126

238

99

.



















7

155

82

''; .... . .; .... . ~

19

37

'':

~

o

33 8

522

648

~

'';

'':

~ ..

Dade

13

.Davvson. . . . .

Decatur

24

DeKalb

992

.o~~~

~

Doo ly

0

0

20

19

12

..

.

.

5

4

64

13

3

20

98

23 2

1,50 5 2,477

282

60 4

~

~



. . . " ':

' ';' '

Dougherty

77

8

5

166

102

11

97

.D?ugl;~s

29

Earlyc

1

11

2

1? 1

9.0

)?

1

2

0

19

2

1

2

Echols

"EElfbfienrgiha m

i i T 3 66 1"5 ;6

<j

o

65

o

13 3

10

6,200

' ';

0

466

0

F .1

0

27

503
22 1 4,53 7
' .;'
948 99?
35

52
125 3,569
~ ..
661 6.~~ . .
46

0 j i s ..105 "i".51""

Ema nue l .E.v.a.n. s. . . Fannin Fayette
FFolorysYdth"

16

7

2

11

0

0

9

4

0

18

3

3

3106 34 47

60

33

1

18

8

0

35

18

5

138

67

37

1j 3h0











24"90

















9 j

.

44 9 12 0
59
. j 6

0

16 3

19 0

0

46

82

0

83

110

1

267

520

00 226374 533417

210
. 93 .
204
64 8
474f66

Franklin

Fu lton

60 8

9~

13 1

124

1,673 1,79 1

151

31

o

4,509

6,221

3 ,0 15
.

32

Probate Co urt Civi] Caseload, Fisca l Ycar' 1996 (docket e n tr-ies)

Coun ty

No

Administration

Prob ate

Year 's

Habeas

Administration Necessa ry Common Solemn Gua rdianship Support Hospitalization Co rpus

Tota l Civil

Lic e nse s Mar riage Pistol

Gla scock

Gl ynn

75

5

7

190

74

52

38

0

GGorarddyon.

19 11

.... ... ... ....83'

'43

5436'

32'27

'11'

ij4 ... .. 00

Greene

12

1

2

26

19

2

11

0

Gwinn etl
Haber'sham

..

....17i 6s

.. .. ... .204 141 55788 45371 9"28 4f66 '01'"

H all

88

3

8

297

79

13

33

0

HHaarnaciosockn,t" 5; 004'7 5'3 3'7 '3

'0'

H arr i s

18

'i' Hart

8

H ea~(i" ' '' ' ' ' '' ' ' ' '

4

1

64

10

2

0

0

'00 '"

02 .. 818.. ..2io1 ..

7 1

.. .1.95

.. '00 ' "

H enr y

40

13

12

169

141

32

24

0

iHiWo'uirslton "

42';" . .. ..... ..... 5

0.

' 142'.'

7'7'; ..... ... .. ...4.. .... .... 31

0

441

662

. 108 .

19 2

127

185

73

93

. ...1,3i 6652

3,815
..i ~"i

52 1

897

452 250
92 100
. 2..,9i'7a39 .
764

;9{ .i614'44 "

99
.. 13340

17 6

24 1

9i 9'f "

."19i 9f

431

8 54

9 11

30 1

6 29

65 1

jackson "

14

5

jjaesfpfeoravis' " '" 106 ..

..63"

jefferson
jjoenhknisnosn.. ...

jon es

8

4

LL'aamri faerr'

;. '

;.'

1

61

01 21:6:3 "

24

5

29

0

139

164









0
2























2
0



















00



44'8f '

. . . . . . . . .... .. .. .... . ..

6

44

43

10

18

'';

'."

'.; '

'';

'';

o

133

';" ...

176

207

i 46'84 "

'8765'

155

267

''; .. . ,;...

Lauren s

31

14

5

11 7

19

6

40

0

232

365

3 14

.L.e.e..... .... .. ... ...1.3. ..... ..... .. ... .1. ... .... .... . ..0... ..... .....1.7... ..... ..2.1.. ..... .... ...0.. ..... ..... .7.... .... ... ..0....... .. . .5.9.. .. .. ... ..1..2.8. ... ... .. ..1.7.6.. .

Libert y

65

0

0

74

287

12

35

0

473

552

110

Lincoln

~.~ n s

~

L o w n d es

54

~. 19

j0 i 748 W16 i.1:j 51i2 00 37464

734"97 ..... ..3'5439" .

Lumpkin

.M. a. .c.o.n. . . . . . . . . . . . ...8. .. . ..

Madison



Marion d

0

MMcc'Dlrluloffsihe'

21
~

. . . . . . . . . . .... . . .. ... .. .4. . . . . . . . . . . .2. .4. . . . . .. . . . .7. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. .4. . . . . .. . .. . .4.1. . . . . . . . .. .9.0. .. ... . . . . . . 8. .2. . .

116

o

2

8

4

1

15

25

44

3
~

4
~

. 57

43

6

14

o

. . . . .1.4. 8. . . ...... ...18. .0. .

187

Meriwether

24

2

10

53

19

5

11

o

124

122

173

M ill er
Mhcheif 7 5 0 S9 a 6 1i 0 9'7 i80 123

Monro e

16

MMoorngtagnomery .g

1
'i' ..

4

41

21

2

9

0

94

128

227

o .. 50 .. .. ro .. ..f .. .. 6 ..0.. .. 77 .. 73 .. 79

Murray
NMeuwsctoognee 135,;.

11,;.

20.; ..........5.29

.2.4..9. ........ ..8..7~ ... .......1.0.4........ ... .o;, . 1,13 5

1,49 3

757

Oconee
-OPaguliectlhi'roigrpe
Peach "
'PPiiecrkceens

2

1

2103

'132"

2

0

~........... ...:.

3

56

25

2

7

0

96

135

182

0l j 2320 6214 f5i 101 00 '28372"

437'8i

173
" 484'

0

15

1

1

0

0

19

13

72

.;. ... .. .... ... .. ...........;.

.;.

~

~

''; .. .

.

Pike

PPtoifl.kiSki

157'

Putnam"

6

'QRaubilum'nan

~

63'

'0j

12i 46

1'9i

02

6'02 '

o0

2235'4 . ... ...2.8..3... ..... ..3..5.6...

84

55

0

2

8

13

0

0

0

29

24

60

:.

,;

'............;

'';

.; .

,. .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . .

~ ..

Ran d o lp h

12

Richmond

11 6

Roc kdal e

43

1

4

38

4

2

1

0

62

48

87

33

14

41 2

13 3

168

2 19

0

1,09 5

1 ,0 8 3

1,0 30

3

5

13 7

!9.~

)~

0

q

~~9

55.0

598 .

33

Prohate Co u r t Civ]! Ca seload, Fiscal Year 1996 (docket entries)

Coun ty

No

Administr ation

Prob ate

Yea r's

Hab e as

Administration Necessa ry Common Solemn Guardianship Support Hospitali zation Co rpus

Total Civil

Licenses Marriage Pistol

Schley

Screve n

18

Semino le

.1.0.

SiJald ing ' " .

26

10
. 38
19

1

42

16

3

4

o.

35 . 4 .

0

12

2

151

87

22

55

1

95

73

109

0

99

380

107 .

0

36 2

52 6

53 3

Ste p hens

S..t.e.w.a.r.t. .... .. ... ..... ..... ....... ... ... . ... ... .... .... . .. .. ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... .... ..... ..... ..... ..... .... ... .. ..... ... .. ... .. . .. .. ... . ..... ..... ..... .. .

Su mter

25

1

2

88

25

3

11

o

15 5

289

219

Talbot "

3

o

o

33

2

1

o

o

39

23

33

Taliaferro

'r;ltinilif " "

21

2

0

44

28

8

16

8

127

111

120

Ta ylor

12

2

0

31

11

1

0

0

57

70

76

Telfair

13

4

Terrell .,.0 'j

1

29

11

1

1

0

60

102

86

0 'js 5 ) 0 0 56 64 j i'6 "

Thomas
" Tift
Too~b ~ d ' "

32

7

1145" " "53 " ." "

6

108

17

4

4 70

01" " ." " 8so3' " ",," 2i (4; "" . ..45" " " " 1.i6 "

0

644

437

165

" "00 ,, " ,,1'9485' .." " 24601)' " ". 3i0734 "

Towns

3

1

2

32

5

0

1

0

44

64

78

T..re.u.t.l.e.n.. .... ... . .. ... .... . ... . . ..... .. .. .. .. . ... .. .... . ..... ......... ..... ..... ...... ... ..... ..... ..... ..... .... .. ... ... .. .... . ... .. ... .. ... . ...... .... ..... ...

Troup

38

14

4

206

55

6

62

0

38 5

457

536

Turner

13

2

1

28

18

0

4

0

66

62

76

T~iggs . Union

14

" " "" .. 1" .. . . . .. . . 10

7

0

2

13

12

50

12

4

56

1

0

0

1 10

55

93 .

0

72

100

196

U pso n

Wa lker" Willion' "

18 42 "

'47' "

)7 1{1i 27'

6700 i1i3i

3298





0 1



i25829

72 3 17

206 478

Wa re

33

WW;alsrrheinn"gto n '

"'61 '

8

1

99

23

18

36

0

218

366

211

0i

02'

4107'

i1 ~i

41'

00

'00

8193'

i 3140

i 396 ..

Wayn e WWehbesetfeerr ' . . '1
C

W h ited

2

W hitfield

46

Wilcox



Wilke s

15

W ilkinso n

13

Wo rth d

12

'0'

o

4'

0

O'

0

'0

S'

if '

fj . .

0

1

39

3

3

5

0

53

120

112

11

1

217

50 .

17

19

0

361

418

. 517











0

0

36

19

4

18

0

92

53

78

2

1

34

3

1

9

0

63

59

119

2

2

33

28

2

8

0

87

146

141

Total

4,719

800

711

13,857 9,59 2

1,689

3,4 11

108 34,887

51 ,941

4 2, 287

Note: 110 of 159 pro ba te co urts submi tted case load dat a for fiscal yea r 199 6.
'"I Caseload data no t sub mitted .
a Data from calendar year 199 5 . b Reported five qu art er s. C Reported two qu art er s. d Rep orted three quarter s. Rep orted on e qu arter .

34

------------ Magistrate Courts - - - - - - - - - - -
Magistrate cour t jurisdi ction includes: civil claim s of $5, 000 or less; distress warrants and disposses 0 1) ' writ s; county ordinance violati ons; misdemean or deposit account fraud (bad checks ); preliminary hearings; and sum monses, arrest warrants and searc h warrants. A chief magistrate, who ma y be assisted by one or mor e magistrates, pr esid es over each of the 159 magistrate courts in th e state.
Magistrat es may grant bail in cases where th e sett ing of bail is not exclusively reserved to a judge of ano th er court . Magistrat es also adm inister oaths, issue sub poenas, an d sentence up to 10 day imprisonm ent and/o r fine up to $200 for contem pt.
No jury trials are held in m agistrate court . If a defend ant submits a written requ est for a jury trial , cases ar e removed to superior or state court.
The chief ma gistrate of each county assigns cases, sets court sessions, appoints other magistrates (with th e consent of the superior cour t judges) and resolves disputes am ong magistrates. T he number of magistrates in addition to th e chief is usually set by majority vot e of th e coun ty's superior cour t jud ges.
Chief magistrat es ar e elected in partisan, coun tywide elections to four-year terms, unl ess otherwise provid ed by local legislati on. T erms for other magistrate judges run concurrently with that of the chief magistrate who a ppoin ted th em .
To qualify as a magistrate, an indi vidual mu st reside in th e county for at least one year pr eceding his or her term of office, be 25 years of age, and hav e a high school dipl oma or its equivalent. Oth er qualificati ons may be imp osed by local legislation . New ma gistrates, unl ess active memb ers of th e State Bar , are required to com plete an initial40-hom cours.efor certification. All magistrat es mu st attend ann ual 20- how' continuing education seminars to maintain certification.
Judges of other limited juri diction cour ts ma y also erve as magistrates in th e same coun ty. At th e end of fiscal year 1996, 158 chief magistrates, 3 16 magistrates and six seni or magistrates served in Georgia. Among this number were 24 probate jud ges, four civil cour t judges and four juvenile court jud ges or associate judges.
Filings and disp ositions are presented f or those magistrate courts submitting caseload data to the Administrative Offi ce of the Courts.
35

Magistrate Court Ca seload, Fiscal Year 1996 (cases filed)

County
Appling" Atkinson ~~<:~.n . . . . . . . . Baker Baldw in" Banks
'B a iro~ " ' "
Bartow
BBeenir'iHenill

Bond &

Total

Total

Warrants Commitment Criminal Cases

Civil Claims

Other Civil Cases Warrants & Hearings&

Issued

Hearings Filed

Disposed

Filed Disposed

Filed

Disposed Filings Dispositions

. ..... . .... . .... ... . ..... .. ... ..... ..... .... ... .. ..... ..... .... .. ..... ... ..... ...... .... .... ... ... .... .... . ... .. .. ..... .. ... .. ... .. ..

730

635

44 9

29 3

396

262

121

121

1,696

1,311

469

15

9

9

2 27

22 7

79

25

784

2 76

.

5 1~

4~2

?

~.~

2 .1.0

~.3 4

~ 19

~??

2?2

1!~4.1 . .. . ! !~.1.~

.

1,24 2
'i ,057103' "

56 262 9 64

55 4

15

576

i 1'157 i 7176 360278' "

93

766

N/A

3, 13 8

164

63167i 1j 0362 613'104 31,,054008 2",472i5i

3 ,8 31
1,.,,009246'

1 ,0 8 5
597o'

1,353 532

1,693
50'50'

1,051
47'2878 '

1,051
36<6j56'

1,26 5
'622360

1,265
6i 2466 '

7,500
' 21,",9747'94'

5,094
2,35'9432 ' .

Bibb
BBlreacrikilleeyy'

8,565
'344i 95'

5,964
'223934'

3,393
528690

2, 721 489 24"1 '

4 ,24 9
3i 312i

6 ,452
'511678"

2,6 85 204 sf '

2,432
3051'"

18 ,8 92
1,94'5601 '

17 ,5 69
1,5i 4s31" .

Brooks
BBtriyilaoncCh '
Burke Bulls
C~ i h ~ ~ ~ " " "

500

303

169

114

808

469

37 9

3 19

1,856

1,205

423 '4; 8 15'

'i 9666'

57 4'7 '

53 "47"

170 '1',:1( 5'

207 ''-;683"

i ;09688 '

i ;i 3969 '

i,2744'8s '

422 3)6S ' .

1 ,0 50

4 73

7

'.'

,,;

7

817

9 23

433

30 1

2,30 7

1,704

~

~

:.,,

'.'

~

~

~

.

Camden ~ a ~ ~. ler Carro ll
Catoo sa"

l.3 65
2 ,835 481

70 3
1.506 153

1,09 3
2,25 1 29 4

1,080
1,9 70 248

Charlton

5 31

4 21

241

240

Chitiiliim 8;1io 8;S2'1 7 :6i"9 7",006

567
1,594 138 1? ?
7,69 8

506
1,473 138 1.47
4,91 2

451
1,4 74 14 2
1. ~ 2.
10 ,204

416
1,461 94
~ !2
1 ,79 0

3,476
8 ,154 1 ,0 5 5
! !O!.~
33, 0 4 1

2,705
. 6 ,4 10
63 3
~.~~ .
22,235

Chattahooch ee

Challooga

1,64 6

2 11

cherokee 4;4j 4.. '( 581 ' "

127

N/A

63 0

504

399

262

j O4 i86gio 1M "i;S40 ':0 6''' '

2, 80 2

977

7,'ioli 4) ji 6

Clarke

5, 893

4,6 11

5,980

2, 175

1,457

1,151

Clay
Clayiori:'

197

89

7;440 8;i h

2;40i









T

,960













90
.,-,610













.(

i:ii735"

2 ,3 28

35 8

15 ,658

8 ,29 5

45

40

33 2

204

8;793 5;545 20;245 i 6,iii<j

Clinch ~~ ~.~ Coffee
Colquitt
CCOo(l)ukm' bia"

41 5
1 .~,.~~ 7.
3,96 5
2 ,5 64 1,609

1
1 ? ,. 34~
1,269
2 42
100'.'

24
? ,~4.~
8
3 1 ,00 9
~

4
4 , ~.8
8
3 837
~

3 10
~!?~5
1,228
1,8 73 819
~

3 18
3,P l 70
N/A
709;. '

166
2,} ~ 4
8 34
5 71
48 '2.'

97
?,1 ~.~
23 0 N/A 260
~

915
~ 1 ,~~.~
6,035
5,01 1 3,919
~

420
??!?~1 .
1,577

245

1,906 ~

.

Coweta ~ r~~ f~r~ Crisp

3 ,422
2.39 1,41 2

10 2
99 1,097

1,536
.?~
800

844 . 1.339

6?

1.89

676

800

1,032
1 .6~
673

1,449
61 898

1,056
43 740

7,746
-? ? ~
3,910

3,034
H~ .
3,186

Dade

Dawson
"D ~~l~r'''

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1,059720"

5g0o6 250



N /A0

s26i9g.."3N2iA9 i18142

NNi/"AA i

998 ,88)



















83950



DeKalb b .Doo~ogly~

5 ,507

5 ,782

47 9

9 57

1,498

720

19

N/A

7,503

7,459

1. ,.1.~ 1 4 31

0 75

4 2.~ 104

N4 2/.A~ .

.

.

.

.

.



53 0 348









331 2 74



19 2

125

2,249

882

i 61 i 3"4 U l44 .. 483"

Dougherty

4, 6 53

6,597

1,31 2

1,163

3, 442

3 ,1 29

5,7 4 1

EDaoduygclas4,"5i6i5i 1i5614 2720 2260 9.,-9801' 6,.8810 2,3,.630ii

5 ,175

15,148

16 ,064

94

8,188

1,162

j 38640' " 4"7:2

Echols

Ef(j.~g~a~
Elbert

~~?

1.?~

20.4

1,52 0

800

47

Emanuel

85 6

494

587

Evans"
f'ari~ i~ "

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

159 689









15405.. "j6'8

~ 2.~

1.81

1.81

1.~4

1~.~

!!~?~

?~~ .

70

4 74

376

309

130

2,350

1,37 6

52 4
iii '

1,14 3

1,071

643

6 19

39164Ni i/A9 ' " 8488 N.i/iA3 '

3,22 9

2 ,70 8

301 '1',461"

















5"4753



Fayette
~.I ?y'~
Forsyth Franklin
Fulton q! l.m~rc

1,253
3 '.803 646 9 91
11,041

80 7
2 ~~!?
169 724
2 1,660

636
2 :3~.6 457
30 ,690

544
1/ ~.3
96 423
2 1,081

622
}',<J:08 560 7,665

585
~ ,.1??
54 4 76
9,3 19

531
3,.669 280 4 3,5 38

474
~ :~~?
44 168
16 ,7 58

3,042
1. ? ! 8? ~
646 2 ,2 8 8
9 2,93 4

2 ,410
?!~.1.~ .
363 1,791 68 ,818
.

36

Magistrate Court Caseload, Fiscal Year 1996 (cases filed)

Bond &

Total

Total

Warrants Commitment Criminal Cases

Civil Claims

O ther Civil Cases Warrants & Hearings&

County

Issued

Heari ngs Filed

Disposed

Filed Disposed

Filed Disposed Filings Disposition s

... ..... .. ... .. .. ..... ..... .. . .. .... . .... ...... .... ..... .... ..... ..... ..... ...... .... .... ..... .. ... ... .. ..... .... ... .. . .... . .... . .... . .... ... ...... .....

Glascock "

44

0

6

5

49

9

11

N/A

1 10

14

Glynn

Gordon

3,093

75 2

1,319

307

1,18 7

891

9 72

60

6,57 1

2,010

Graely ..i ;3i~i " " " " 4i i .. 33"8..483 ( 275 ;;69 i 678 6503),202",707

Greene Gw innelt
'H a~ ~ sha m

631
12,15 1'.'

86 9
5,565'';'

259 2,462
~

123 2,4 30
~

663
4,363;.'

635
4,130'.'

338
8,92'8':

90
8,99'5';'

1,89 1 2 7,904
~

1, 717
21,120;.' .

Ha ll"
'HHaarnaciosocnk'

3, 6 2 0
'52547i'

6,196
1489"7

2,098 (7;5i

1,777
"7:35g'

1,543
394184'

1,678
'8i 1j8i'

1,779
'i3 1i02"

1,52 5
2i 95'02 '

9 ,040
i1",,5i'5680 '

11 ,176
1,436774" .

Harris
HHeaartrd '

1,0 70
'490i32" "

36 1
41565 ' "

212

164

385

340

31467 1593i i5s69i '3i2927'"

18 5
2ii5:0:3

148

1,852

1,0 13

i 8010 2,803470 1,041014..

Henry

2,634

4,655

1,080

1,11 1

910

1,0 27

1,196

280

5,82 0

7,073

Houston 'rwin













7 ,418290



5 ,417728

1,9338

1,9..3l3i

2 ,i1985i



2,6i 9527





2,084
i 29



2,223i 91



1 3U,3i3f41 1 f1,,o98i8i ..





Jackson
)JiadsfpDerav'is'

2,823

47 6

6

6

725

89 9

784

737

4,3 38

2 ,1 18

'664'

'47f

3ii3

3'83'

593 '

'593'

"356

35'6

i}i96' "(003' .

Jefferson "

6 14

jJoehnnksinosn '440483'"

342
440 ' "

2 77

277

740

740

389

310 2"01 .. i55i:33" i5235 2i8241

3 89

2,020

s27f ..1f,28jo3' "

1,748
21"265i

Jones

84 3

122

0

0

60 5

299

2 46

200

1,694

62 1

"LLaanmiearr578542" 4245 22"06 ii60 ..23"8i0o..i27i46382"68 28358 U1,4i8906593426" "

Laurens

3,648

2,556

1,1 27

1,12 7

1,3 3 5

1,297

1,0 6 4

1,064

7,174

6,044

Lee
'Li ~rt}; "

"

"

""

"' "

"3 ;62ii ;4435"3 45( 470 1;143i ;228 768(:,,3"72 f 399

Lincoln" Long fowndes

240

75

35 7

169

9;854 '3;679 ' "

12

5

178

179

96

170

2

192

44

85

3;92"0 953 . 2 ,545 i63 2;41'8

70 N/A
6'4 '

526 804 ' iil,t j 7' "

329 215 4,959

Lumpkin"

469

440

204

MM<acidoisnocri.."71882i " '5420(; ' " 58i'1i

146

224

157

168

N2"9/Ai 429642..424279 1i68"47

161

1,065

904

1s5e4

(97'1518 '" U44410

Marion MM'ccDlnutofsf"ihe' "

160

134

0

'855767' "

'445"17 ' "

440 ~i i

Meriwether

78 1

4

29 0

MMiiilclehreH .. ~

~

0

177

138

138

1i'94 5i"

92"3985.. "93309i .8.581'j

273

5 79

579

408

~

~

~

148
8551'6 '
410
~

4 75

420

3i),0i4865' "

~!~2 6 961

.

2 ,0 5 8
~

1,266

~

.

Monroe Montgomery

8 11 354

181

124 16

1 13 16

851 201

514 201

4 21 66

42 1

2,207

1,229

66

637

283

fVlorgan 677 539 30i ... ; 76537 "3 io "3 6O i OO ( 8"76"(i 05..

Murray

1,0 74

3 64

81 1

50

5,099

N/A

799

49

7,783

463

.~.l.!~?~~ Newton

-,
4 ,1 2 2

~

:

~

~

9 15

1,9 6 0

1,625

1 ,0 5 4

~ ~ ,*, . . . .. . . . .. .. . .. : . . . . . : . . . .

755

1,258

767

8,39 4

4 ,0 62

Oco nee

.C? ~.l et ~ o.rP.E:
Paulding

~?~

~ 1.1

14.2

8~

3.04

1.~

~.3

8.~

9.9~

~60 .

1,400

69

372

242

500

392

659

500

2,93 1

1,20 3

Peach

119

522

7 17

379

716

102

324

40

1,8 76

1,043

Pickens

585

39

19 6

91

363

269

158

45

1,30 2

Pieree" ho isi f 8f7 :3i6i 49 i 64 40 f ,i:ili'

444
.. 458'"

Pike ~~ Pulaski
Putnam"
'QRaubiutmna;"n

449

287

58

41

226

195

77

76

8 10

599

.

4 12

22 5

0

0

328

194

172

109

91 2

528

170

90

67

30

264

164

245

245

746

5 29

'66i"

"7

24'0 '

2"1'9 '

i 46' ... . 'i jo'

6i

:d

i",iOg '

4lii .

Rand olph Richmond
.~ ? ~ ~.~ ~ I.~

272 7, 719
~ ,.3~~

25 1,920
~ ~~7~

48 2, 195
1! 42.~

42 2, 290
~ !~.~~

419 5 ,202
~.~~

348 4 ,51 0
~~~

138 5,139
~ ~ ~ ~~

134 2,581
1! ? ~.~

8 77 20 ,255
6!~.2.~

549 11,301
?!~.~ ? .

37

Magistrate Court Caseload, Fiscal Year 1996 (cases filed)

County

Warrants Issued

Bond &

Commitment Crim inal Cases

Hearings Filed

Disposed

Civil Claims Filed Disposed

Total

Total

Other Civil Cases Warrants & Hearings &

Filed

Disposed Filings Dispositions

Schley'

55

44

27

25

152

105

55

28

289

202

Screven

374

0

185

N/A

542

N/A

302

0

1 .403

N/A

Sem ino le
s'P<iidi~g "

""

"

.

..

...

'S:828087'

''

...

..4;i10635..





..i

;814592

....



i

.41<3.i54

..

..



.l.S24O8j

"



...

.1','222976..

..

'3;36656

....



'2;88644

'

..



i

673
i~60S

"

' " '' 9.579'717......

Step hens

.S.t.e.w.a.r.t.. ... .. .... ..... .. .. ... .. .. .. ....... .. .. ..... ... . .... .... .. ...... ... .......... .. ..... ..... .. ..... ... .. ... . ..... . ..... .. .. ...... .... .. .. ..... ... ....

Sumter

2.203

1,300

512

512

2,358

2.380

1,641

1,200

6.714

5,392

Talbot"

131

10

0

0

110

110

23

23

264

143

!~I.iilf~~o Taunall

.

745

307

640

640

610

610

225

100

2.220

1,657

Taylor

612

116

62

62

279

279

238

238

1,19 1

695

! ~I.fil!~
Terrell

~~6

!9

1 I.~

! 3.~

6.Q<?

~~ !l

286

~8f~

!1?~.4

??Q .

1.104

683

280

206

320

218

224

34

1,928

1,141

Thomas
}:ift Toomb s"

2,935 ~,.q~l 1 .8 6 6

1,443 ~Q~ 35

1 ,7 3 5 ?9.~ 436

1,608
.1.7
44 3

3,683
1!?.3. 1
450

2,735
1 5~!
178

2,530 1 ,.4?~
454

52
! (4 ~~
14

10,8 83
?/?!.q
3.2 06

5,838
~!?~! .
670

To w n s

358

30

0

0

96

91

27

18

4 81

139

Treu tlen
T~o~p"

"3:aGi'" ij7i.. 883

50 :3.4'35 'jJ i 3 " j ;7i:3 i; i i 'j ..i i ~90j " ' " '' 6)'58....

Turner
~~.:~~

~:~

1.~

~.~

~~

~.~~

3.~~

1.f~

~ ~.;

~ !~~

~.;~ .

Upson ~~I.~~~ Walton
Ware Warren
W a shi ~ gi o ~'
Wayne b ~~~~!~ Wheelerc White ~i.tfi.~I~ Wilcox
Wilkes Wilkinson Worth

1.143

447

1.,.1.4 6

~?!3



2. 198

1,345

'1' :615442'

'i j i2'

774
)??
1,978
j(,(4j

435 9.4
1,706
3452

903 8M
1.118
'1',535017'

36 1

118

151

15 1

180

47

~

~

~

~"

92

72

26

26

63

755

395

365

264

335

?,.~ ~ !l

1 q!l~

? (?~.3.

? /?~.3

?!???



333

167

442

69

78

N/A

560

11

11

618

732

740

286

3,560

1,900

,730

635

) 19

3/Q~.2

l,!3n .

1.093
'1'.429805'

1 . 1 70
'274095'

1.09 2
'48786

6 .464
4',7i:4iG6 '

5.236
2',S3'7490' .

180

122

122

8 14

571

~8

!~

~ .4

p.~

~? .

41

27

N/A

208

139

250

189

139

1.644

1,048

2 ~??

~mO

? (Q?~

? /~!.~

Ii??? .



433

263

199

1,234

799

618

206

206

1,277

904

Total

253,380 158,546 117,560

86,359 130,448 106,373 158,891

91,818 660,279 443,096

Note: 132 of 159 magistrate co urts submitted caseload da ta for fiscal year 199 6.
['1 Caseload data not submitted. IN/AI Data elements not provided by court.
Reported three quarters. b Reported one quarter. C Reported two q uarters.

38

- - - - - - Special Courts and Municipal Court s - - - - - -
Three hundred and eighty-three local cour ts ar e part of th e Georgia cour t system . These special courts and th e courts serving incorp orated municipalities opera te under various names with varying juri sdi ction s.
Originally created by statute or constitutional provi sion , certain special courts have limited civil m~d criminal juri sdiction throughout a coun ty. Th ese include th e civil courts in Bibb and Riclunond count ies and th e Municipal Court of Columbus. The county recorder 's cour ts of Chatham, Colum bus- Muscogee, DeKalb and Gwumett Counties exercise crimin al juri sdiction only.
Courts of incorporated municipalities tr y muni cipal ordinance violati ons, issue criminal warrants, conduct preliminary hearings, and ma y have conc urre nt jurisdiction over shopliftin g cases and cases involvin g possession of one oun ce or less of marijuana. Local courts originally known as city cour t, mayor's court, municipal court, polic e cour t or recorder's cour t were redesignated as municipal courts by th e 1983 state constitution.
The City Court of Atlanta, which retains its original name, ha s city-wide jurisdi ction over traffic cases and on Jul y 1, 1996, was designated by legislation as a state court of limited jurisdi ction.
Qualifications of judges and term s of office in municipal courts ar e set by local legislation.
39

JUDIT(-:ITAL A(-;EI JCITES
- - - - - - - - - - - Judicial Coun cil - - - - - - - - - - -
Th e Judi cial Council (OCGA 15-5-20) is th e state-level judicial agency charged with developing policies for administering and improving th e courts. The state legislature created the Judi cial Council in 1973 ; in 1978 th e counc il officially becam e an administrative arm of the Georgia Supreme Court. The coun cil considers requests for new superior court judgeships and oversees th e activities of the Administrative Office of th e Courts (AOC) and the Board of Court Reporting.
Twenty-four representatives of the app ellate and trial cour ts make up the Judicial Coun cil. Th e chief justice and presiding justice of th e Supreme Court act as the chairperson and vice chairperson, resp ectively. The chief judge and another judge of th e Court of Appeals; th e presidents and presidents-elect of th e superior, state, juvenile, probate and magistrate court councils; and th e 10 superior court distri ct administrative judges complete council memb ership.
Th e full council meets at least twice each year , as it did in Decemb er 1995 and Iune 1996. A primary responsibility of the council is to advi se the legislature and governor on th e need for new superior court judgeship s. In considering judgeship requests, the Judicial Council seeks to maintain a balance in caseload distribution in the superior courts. Each year a careful evaluation of circuit caseloads, demographics and special circwnstances is prepared for each of the 46 judicial circuits. Th e AOC anal yzes caseload data collected by the judicial administrative distri cts and presents the result s to the council for th eir consideration. Further information is collected from those circuits requesting a new judgeship. Th e comprehensive data collection effort allows statistical comparisons to be made among circuits based on established criteria: weighted caseload, averag e filings, number of jury trial s, open cases, circuit population and days of senior judge assistance.
In fiscal year 1996, the Judicial Council recomm ended to the legislature and governor th e creation of two new superior court judgeship s. Ranked by th e council in priority order, the recommendations were for a seventh judgeship in the Gwinnett Judi cial Circuit and a tenth judgeship in th e Ston e Mountain Circuit. The coun cil also voted to recommend dividing the Blue Ridge Judi cial Circuit into two singlecounty circuits. At its Jun e meeting , th e Judicial Council adopted a policy for considera tion of experiment al court projects of nonuniform juri sdiction.
Th e 1996 General Assembly did not create any new superior court judgeship s. Legislation authorizing division of the Blue Ridge Circuit was un successful.
40

- - - - - - - Administrative Offict.~ of the Courts - - - - - - -
The Administrative Office of th e Courts (OCGA 15- 5-22) provides fiscal, conunu -
nicati ons, research and SUppOIt services to all classes of cour ts. It is liaison to other state an d national judicial agencies and staffs the Judi cial Council, working closely with its chair person, the chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Cour t.
Commun ic a tions a nd publications Administrative Office of th e Cour ts (AOC) publi cati ons ar e a source of cour t-
relat ed inform ati on for judges, court support personn el and public and pr ivate judicial organ izations. T he Georgia Court.'> Journ al , distributed to more than 3, 000 local , state and national officials, inform s read ers of changes in court procedure, judi cial personn el appointme nts and elections, recent legislati on, court managem ent activiti es and other events. Five issues were published during fiscal year 1996.
T he Judicial Legislative Log is a weekly digest of cour t-related legislation published during th e legislative session and distributed to approximately 1,000 judges, county officers and court administrative personnel. Two additional issues, a pr eview and summary , w ere featured in the Georgia Courts Journ al.
T he Georgia Court.'> Directory cont ains name, address and teleph one inform a tion for Georgia coun ty, sta te an d federal judi cial branch officials. The dir ectory was produced and distributed to 2,800 jud icial branch personn el. It is available at minimal cost to attorneys and oth ers.
The 1995 Annual Report on the Work 0/the Georgia Courts was compiled by
th e comm un ications and research divisions. Th e report pr esents caseload data for all classes of courts as well as narrati ves of judicial branch agency activities.
T en issues of th e Public Relations Digest were produ ced . The PR Digest is a compilation of selected news and feature items about the judi ciary from state and local newspapers. Memb ers of the Jud icial Council use the digest to a sist them in gauging public opinion ab out cour t activities and identifying matters of public concern .
Other communi cations activities included coordinating media relations and information releases on Judicial Council activiti es, and publicati on an d distribution of a com pletely revised edition of the Superior Cour t Judges Benchb ook, both civil and criminal sections . An invitation and other materials were design ed for th e Georgia Supreme Court 's sesquicente nnial celebra tion. Sta ff also assisted with the itinerary an d logistics for nin e judges visiting Georgia from th e Czech Republic.
Researc h a nd co ur t services The research and court services division genera tes COlU"t statistical information
and analysis to identify needs and pr opose recomm endations for improvement. The research staff pr ovides information to nati onal organizations, other states and th e public on topics such as judicial compen ation and fringe benefits, cour t organ iza tion and jurisdiction, jury and records management and others . Stu dies are also con ducted up on request of th e judi ciary an d the General Assembl y.
The research staff supervises yearly collection of caseload and other data from
41

the trial courts. Calendar year 1995 superior cour t caseload dat a submitted by distri ct personn el was audit ed and analyzed in terms of circ uit workload s. Information on caseloads in each of the 46 judi cial circuits was pr esented to th e Judi cial Council for use in making recomm end ati ons on th e need for additional superior court jud geship s. T hr ee circuit-division stu dies were also complete d during fiscal year 1996.
Pr ojections of caseload were made for several local jurisdi cti ons where adding personnel or remodeling cour thouse facilities is being considered. A pr esentation to Leadership Dalt on focused on th e Conasauga Circuit's need for a full -time juvenile court. Caseload inform ati on was also provided to a number of court administrators. T he figures were needed to determine revenu es that might be generated from court fees for Alt ernative Dispute Resolution programs authorized by OCGA 15-23-1 et. seq.
T he re earch division assisted th e Georgia Cour ts Autom ati on Commission staff and contractors in detennining the types of data needed and methods of data collection. Resear chers also work ed with a commi ttee formed by th e chief justice to review a pr oposed uniform rule. The new rul e would imp rove cour t inform ati on availa ble to judges for case management. Thi s commi ttee , com posed of judges, court administrators and clerks of the superior courts, expects to pr esent an amended proposal to the Supreme Court for final review and ad option.
A draft policy statement for the Judi cial Coun cil to use in evaluating proposals for experimental courts of nonuniform jurisdiction was prepared . In addition, a model plan was designed to provide guid an ce to courts seeking a Judicial Council recomm endation. Staff met with judges of th e Atlanta Judicial Circuit to discuss nonuniform projects and continued to meet with th e State Bar Commi ssion on Family Courts regarding pilot projects,
The resear ch division provided staff support to th e Conunission on App ellate Courts. Ext ensive data were compiled on Georgia's appellate court structure, procedur es and jurisdiction. Comparison and analysis of dat a from appellat e cour ts in other states was also pr ovided to the commission.
T he calendar year 1996 salary survey was compiled for personn el from all trial courts. Detail ed information on salary, staffing and funding is collected in thi s annual survey. Magistrate court budgets were also included.
T he research division staffed the conunittees of th e Racial and Etlm ic Bias Commission. A 24 6-page final report , Let Justice Be Done: Equally , Fairly, and Impartially, was prepared and present ed to the Supreme Court in fall 1995. (For more inform ation on the Racial an d Ethnic Bias Commi ssion , see page 69.)
T he resear ch division continued to pr ovide staff support after th e Equ ality Commission was created to continue the work of the Racial and Ethnic Bias Commission and the Gend er Equality Conunittee. (For more information on th e Equal ity Commission, see page 68.)
Another project staffed by the research division was the Supreme Court Child Placement Project. The staff and the Advisory Committ ee, with assistance from th e National Center for State Cour ts, completed an assessm ent of court pro cesses in child abuse, neglect, abandonm ent , and deprivation cases in Georgia's juvenile cour ts. Case file reviews, court observa tions an d surveys were design ed , and dat a
42

was collected and compiled by th e research sta ff and temporary em ployees . The results will be included in th e pro ject report to be delivered to th e Supreme Court in fall 1996.
The sta ff also worked with records management and jury issu es. In fiscal year 1996, th e Jury Commissioner's Handbook was revised for use by clerks an d la yp erson jury commissione rs . Hesearch staff also assisted th e training counc ils of th e superi or cour t clerks and municipal cour t judges.
Staff sup por t to judicial comm iss ions a nd committees Georgia Courts Automation Commission.The AGC provided staff and dir ecti on
to th e Georgia Courts Automation Commi ssion. Establishing objectives, ob taining funding and providing administrative, clerical and fiscal su pport are among th e fun ctions performed . (For m ore information on th e commission, see page 55 .)
Sup reme Court Child Placement Proceedings Proj ect. The AGC provided a pro ject coor din ator and staff su pport to the Child Placement Proceeding s Project. T he project , un der th e dir ection of an adv isory commit tee appoint ed by th e Georgia Supreme Court, is part of a nationwide effor t to assess child placement proceedings in th e courts . Fed eral funding ena bles each state to evaluate and assess court actions involving abuse, neglect , deprivation, foster care and adoption cases .
Sup reme Court Commission on Racial and Ethnic Bias, Supreme Court Commission on Equality. The AGC pr ovid ed administrative and technical support to th e commissions during fiscal year 1996 . In September , th e Commission on Racial and Ethnic Bia s publish ed its final report. In December 1995 , th e Supreme Court Commission on Equality was created to continue th e work of the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Bias and the Commi ttee for Gender Equ ality (both had reach ed th e en d of th eir initial terms). For more information on th e commissions, see pages 68-69.
Sup reme Court Committee on S ubstance Abuse and the Courts. A pr ogranl manager was provided to the Commi ttee on Substance Abu se and the Courts, esta blishe d by th e Supreme Court to follow up on dIe recommendations made at the Georgia Con fer enc e on Substance Abu se and the Courts. Financial su pport for the comm ittee comes from the Criminal Justice Coor dinating Council and sta te fun ds. The member ship is comprised of representatives from th e executive, judicial and legisla tive branches of gov ermnent ; th e legal profe ssion ; court administrators; and civic lea ders.
Durin g fiscal year 1996, th e commi ttee continue d to hold regul ar meetings and issu ed a paper en title d Drug Courts: Treatm ent-Based Alternativesfo r Our Court Sy stems. In Jan uary, th e com mittee help ed coordinate a full da y of workshops on subs tance abuse issu es at th e ed ucational semi nar for superior court judges. The committee also co-hos te d th e nationwide Whit e House Leadership Conferen ce on Youth Drug Use and Violence on Mar ch 7 .
Secretariat se rvices As required by sta tu te, th e AGC pr ovid es secretariat services to th e following
judicial branch agencies and organizations. Board of Court Rep orting. The AGC selves as secretariat to the Board of Court
43

Reporting and assisted th e board in making long-range plan s for continuing education, administering certification tests, producing rul es revisions and implementin g a Code of Professional Ethics.
Count)' and Muni cipal Probation Advisory Council. In fiscal year 1996, the AOC began providing a program manager to th e council, OCGA 42-8-103 and 42-8-107 require that all privat e companies contracting to provide probation services submit an initial registration report an d quarterly activity reports to the council. Implementati on of th e new mandates began in January, 1996. Initiall y, effort focused on research and review of existing laws, corres pondence, registration, file mat erial , national models and studies. Private probation con tractors across the state were identified and contacted, and registration was begun. In early May, th e committee held a meeting to provide memb ers and repr esentatives from other agencies with an overview of private probation. End of fiscal year data showed that 314 courts were using private probation services. (Tlu s constitutes th e annual report required by OCGA 42-8-101.)
Judges training councils. Th e AOC serves as secretariat to th e Municipal Court s Training Council and th e Georgia Magistrate Courts Training Council in planning th eir continuing education progr ams and maintaining educational certification r ecord s.
Support to the judiciary Th e AOC also provided administrative assistan ce to th e appellate courts and
judges councils. S upreme Court. Th e AOC provided assistance to the chief justice of th e Supreme
Court. Amo ng th ese activities, th e AOC's judi cial liaison division pr ovided th e court with a chedule of app ointm ent dat es for the boards and commissions to which the Supreme Court appoints memb ers to assist the justices in making timely appointments during th e year . Th e judicial liaison division keeps track of judicial branch app ointments and organizations on which judicial branch personn el sit as members. Information was also provided to th e Court of Appeals about th eir memb ership on various group s.
S upe rior Courtjudges. Th e Georgia Superior Court Benchbook was extensively revised, edited, printed and distributed with assistance from AOC staff.
S ta te Court judges. Th e AOC provided liaison services to th e Coun cil of State Court Jud ges and assisted in tracking legislati on, staffing committees aIld distributin g manuals. A pictorial directory of the memb ership was published for the first tim e .
Probate Court judges. With the Institute of Contin uing Judicial Education, AOC staff assisted the Probat e Judges Training Counc il in developing policy and training curricula. Staff also maintained certification records as requ ired by sta tute. Th e Council of Probate Court Jud ges was assisted in distribution of the Uniform Forms, Probat e Judges Handbook and supplements; aIld coordination of the audi ts and budgets, legislative, nominating, vital record s, elections, and other committees .
Magistrate Court judges. T he Council of Magistr at e Court Judges received assistan ce in updating th e Magistrates Benchbo ok and coordinating executive,

budget, legislative, benchbook, uniform rules, memb ership , training and elections conunitt ee activities.
Computer and technical support. AOC staff pr ovided computer expert ise, training and oth er techni cal assistance and support to judges and cour t-related personn el. Additional services were provided through the Georgia Courts Automation Commission and a contr act with the Department of Admini strative Services .
Liaison se rv ices The AOC also served as liaison for the judicial branch with policy-making
groups. Som e of th ese activiti es ar e describ ed below. Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. The chair of the Judi cial Council was
represented by the dir ector of th e AOC on the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, including service on various conunittees .
Georgia Commission on Family Violence. An AOC staff mem ber appoint ed by the governo r served on th e Georgia Commission on Family Violence and was elected chairperson for a two-year term . The commiss ion was creat ed in 1992 by the General Assembly and is charged with developing a comprehensive plan to end domestic violence. During fiscal year 1996, the commission work ed to establi h local family violence task forces and began planning its third statewide annual conference. Ongoing proj ects included a quarterly newslett er and specialized training opportunities for the task forces.
Institute of Continuing Judicial Education (ICJ). Th e director of the AOC served on the ICJE Board of Trustees.
Inf ormation Techno logy Policy Council. Staff memb ers served on the Infonnation Infrastructure Working Group and on the Crim e and Public Safety Sub committee to improve shari ng of data and developm ent of common appli cations acros state agenci es.
Law-Related Education Consortium. Th e AOC participates in the Law-Related Education Consortium , whi ch is composed of justice professional s and educators who promote law-related cur riculum in public schools.
Natio na lAssociatio n ofWo men Judges. Extensive staff assistance was provid ed to the National Association of Women Judges in planning, coordinating and carrying out its 1995 conference, held in Atlanta.
Olympic Security S upp ort Group. A staff memb er worked with the Criminal Justice Subcommittee of th e Atlanta Committee for the Olympi c Gam es Security Support Group.
S tate-Federal Judicial Council. T he Georgia State-F ederal Judicial Council (comprised of federal district cour t and appellat e judges, Supreme Court justices an d judges of the Court of Appeals, superior court s and state cour ts ) received assistance in coordinating its ann ual meeting. (For more information on the council, see pag e 61.)
State-Records Committee. Staff sat with tile commi ttee to approve COlUt records retention sche dules.
Superior Court Clerks Training Council. The AOC assist ed tile Sup erior Court Clerk s Training C01UlCii in planning th eir continuing education programs.
45

Fiscal su p p or t serv ices The AOe provides fiscal services an d coordinates annual judicial
branch appropriations requests. Th e fiscal office performs payroll, accounts payable, cash man agement, purchasing, inventory control and finan cial reporting functions for 15 judicial branch agencies.
In fiscal year 1996, the AOe managed 62 separate funding sources, including 30 state fund allocations, 8 federal grants and 24 fee or other revenue sources.
Duties of the Administrative Office of the Courts
(OCGA 15-5-24 and Orders of the Supreme Court)
1) Consult with and assist jud ges, ad ministra tors, clerks of co ur t an d other officers an d employees of the court pe rtai ning to ma tters relating to co urt administration a nd provide such services as are requested .
2) Examine the ad ministrative an d bus iness methods a nd systems employed in the offices rela ted to and serving the courts and mak e recommend ati ons for necessary improvement.
3) Compile stati stical and finan cial data an d other informa tion on th e judicial work of the courts and on the wor k of ot her offices rela ted to and serving the courts, which sha ll be prov ided by the co urts.
4) Examine the sta te of the dockets and pr act ices and procedures of the cour ts and mak e recommend ations for the expedition of litigation.
5) Act as fiscal officer and prepare and submit budget estimates of state appropriations necessary for the main tenance and operation of th e judicial syste m.
6) Perform such addi tional du ties as may be ass igned by the Judicial Cou ncil.
7 ) Prepa re a nd p ublish an annual report on the work of the co ur ts and on the activities of the Administrative Office of the Cour ts.
8) Receive grants from any source, public or pri vat e, and expe nd fund s and perform services in acco rda nce with the terms of a ny grant.
9) Prepare, pub lish and distribu te, from time to time, studies a nd repor ts relating to the administration of justice, impose reas onable charges for suc h reports where app rop riate on either a n in dividual or subscription bas is and retain an y p roceeds of such charges .
10) Pr ovide clerical, technical, research or oth er ass ista nce to individua l courts to enab le them more effectively to discharge their duti es.
11) Enter into contracts as necessary to perfor m its other duties .
46

- - - - - - - - - Board of Court Reporting - - -- - - -- -

Th e Board of Court Reporting (OCGA 15-14-24) certi fies and licenses all court reporters who serve the judicial branch. Court reporters are prohibited from pra cticing without board certification. Th e board is authorized by the 1974 Georgia Court Reporting Act to assist the judiciary by encouraging high standards of professionalism among reporting pra ctition ers. Th e Judicial Council of Georgia appoints board memb ers, reviews the rules of the Board of Court Reporting, and governs official court reporting fees through regulation and adjustment of an establishe d fee schedule.

Certifica tion a nd permits

Th e cour t reporters certification exam is a skills test in one of thr ee methods of

tak edown: machine shorth an d, manual shorthand or closed microphone voice

dictation silencer. The board held exams twice during the fiscal year, testing 302

appli cants. Of these, 55 passed the requisite portions ofthe exam and became eligible

for certification. Four other applicant s, who passed an optional test that provid es an

opportunity to improve professional status, upgraded existing certificat es.

Certificat es for court reporters are renewed year ly. At the end of the fiscal year,

1,067 certified cour t report ers were officially registered. The total number of those

officially registered has declined for the past thr ee years since requirements for

mandatory continuing education took effect.

A court reporter who is not certified may obtain a temporary permit from th e

board based on certain skills. A court report er holding a board temporary- p ermit

may work in a freelance or official capacity with the sponsorship of a certified court

reporter, who agrees to supe rvise on a daily basis.

Board temp orary permits ar e issued for a single

testing period and are not renewable. An

Court Reporters

uncertifi ed reporter may work until the permit expires or th e reporter becomes certified. Four teen board temporary permits were issued dur-

Official ly registered

1994 1995 1996 1,164 1,097 1,067

ing the year. A temporary permit also may be issued at the
request of a sponsoring judge. A reporter work-

Cert ificates and permits issued :

New certifica tes

55 54 55

Upgraded certifica tes

2

1

4

ing under a judicial temporary- p ermit is restricted to the sponsor's cour t and may not freelance. Judi cial temp orary permit s can be revoked

Board temporary permits

8 10 14

Judicial temporary permits

12 t 2 to

Na tional accreditation certi ficates 25 26 to

by th e board only with approval of the issuing judge. Board rules require reporters on judicial

Takedown Methods

temporary permits who report more than 100

1994 1995 1996

hour s per year to tak e the board exam every time it is offered until certi fied. Ten judicial temporary permits were issued in fiscal year 1996. Five were renewals from previous years, and five were

Grandfathered Machine shorthand Stenornask Short ha nd notes

t03 93 89 641 584 581 396 398 376
24 22 2t

new issues at the requ est of a sponsoring judge.

47

The board also issued 10 new certificates to court reporters who met th e accreditation requirements of the lational Court Reporters Association or the Ia tional Stenomask Verbatim Report ers Associati on.
Formal complaints The board investigates complaints against court reporters, including fee
disputes, and administers disciplinary action when warranted. Of th e 17 complaints received in fiscal year 1996, the board dismissed 14 or took no action. Two complaints filed against one reporter who allegedly held transcripts "hostage" until being paid for pr evious work result ed in a voluntarily surrender of th e reporter's license in lieu of a formal hearing. Anoth er complaint alleged that a report er's transcript did not meet th e requirements set down in th e Fee Schedul e for Official Report ers. Th e report er was ordered to correct the transcript and refile it, and to refund the complainant any overpayment. Five of th e com plain ts filed at the board's request were against reporters reporting in a method oth er than that in which they are certifi ed.
Related activities Continuing education for court reporters is mandatory . Training opportunities
ar e widely available in subjects pertinent to court reporters. Ea ch reporter is required to earn 10 hours of course credit per calendar year. The board rul es were amend ed during fiscal year 1996 to: 1) exempt reporters initially certified during th e first half of th e calendar year from training during that calendar year; and 2) extend to three year s the deadline for permanent license revocation if continuing education requirements are not met. Board rule s specify penalties for delinquency in meeting training requirements, including suspension of th e reporter's license. Any reporter who has been delinquent in obtaining training for three years mu st retest to be certified in Georgia.
In keeping with its charge to promote professionalism , th e board enforces the Code of Professional Ethics and Guidelines for Professional Pra ctice. The board issues advi sory opinions on matters of ethical concern upon request.
- - - - -- - - Council of Juvenile Court Judges - - - - - - - -
(An nual report for fiscal year 1996, as required by OCGA 15-11-4 .)
The Coun cil of Juvenile Court Judges (OCGA 15-11-4) is com posed of all judges of the courts exercising juri sdiction over juv eniles. Council membership for fiscal year 1996 included 52 part- and full-tim e juvenile court judges, 65 superior court judges exercising juvenile court jurisdiction, 35 associate juvenile court judges and seven pro tempore judges.
Coun cil staff support th e work of juvenile court judges through legal research services, legislative tracking and specialized programs to assist in protecting the int erests of childre n and the state.
48

Council policies are set by th e executive commi ttee comprised of th e presid ent, presid ent-elect, secre tar y, tr easurer and imm ediate past president. Eleven standing committees-benchbook, education/certification, uniform rul es, legislati ve, guardian ad lit em , cour t organization , grants/lUlruly and delinquent services, indigent defense, information systems , permanency planning and past presidents-make recommendations to th e executive committee. Designated judges ar e liaisons to th e following ag encies: Council of Sup erior Court Judges; Department of Human Resources (Division of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse and Division of Family and Children Services); Department of Children and Youth Servi ces; Department of Education ; Criminal Justice Coordinating Council; Governor's Dill Task Force; and Georgia COUl1S Automation Comm ission,
P urchase of Services Program The Purchase of Servi ces Program reimburses county governments for
comm un ity-base d services to certain juveniles as alt ernatives to institutional tr eatment. Status offenders and delinquents who ar e within th e cour t's juri sdiction, but have not been committed to th e Department of Childre n and Youth Services, are th e target group for th ese services. Services may be purchased for delinquent or status offender juvenil es only.
Funds made available through th e Purcha se of Services Program enh ance cour t services through cour t-sponsored counse ling and tutoring programs, substance abuse progranls, drug testing, psychologi cal evaluation, comm unity work s and restitution pro jects, and short-term th erapeutic progranls.
Court officials engage qualified local citizens or agenci es to provide services. The juvenile court judge determines which children will be referred for services and which services are appropriate for th e individual child. Th e Purcha se of Services Program is fund ed by a grant from th e Children and Youth Coordinating Council and state appropriations.
During th e grant period of Octob er 1, 1994, through Sept emb er 30, 1995, 61 counties expended funds under th e program. Approximately 3,250 juveniles were active in the program.
Permanent Homes for Ch ild re n in Georgia Permanent Hom es for Children (PHC) staff provide support and techni cal
assistance to juvenil e cour t judges and judi cial citizen review panels. During fiscal year 1996 , PHC staff a sisted with 157 foster- care review pan els
in 56 counties, In tho se 56 counties, an estimated 11,000 children were in paid foster care or institutional pla cem ent s. Case reviews are carried out by citiz en review panels once every six months. The goal of panel reviews is to ensure reunification of the child and parents if at all possible, and if th e child can be sa fely returned. If reunification is not an option, th e pan els work with th e Department of Family and Children Services and oth er agencies to identify feasible permanency options such as adoption. Approximately 800 trained citizen volunteers served on panels statewide during th e pa st year. Panel memb ers are app oint ed by their local juv enile court judge and trained by PHC staff. J ine PHC field representatives assist th e local citizen review panels.
49

Th e review pan el program in Douglas County was discontinued in February, 1996 . Th e judge elected to conduct judi cial reviews on all cases of children in foster care. In April, 1996 , the Council assisted Henr y County in establishing a Citizen Foster Care Review Program.
Th e Consolidated Foster Care Child Tracking System provides th e ability to tra ck the foster care status of deprivati on cases reviewed by Citizen Foster Care Review Panels throughout the state.
- - - - - - - Council of Magistrate Court Judges - - - - - - -
Th e Council of Magistr ate Cour t Judges (OCGA 15-10-7), created to furth er improve-m ent of the magistrate courts and the administration of justice, assists magistrates throughout the state in execution of their duti es and assists in their training.
All chief magistrates and magistr ates in Georgia ar e memb ers of th e council. The 28 -memb er executive committee is comprised of six officers, two repr esentatives from each of the ten judicial administr ati ve distri cts and two memb ers-at-large. Th e comm ittee carries out the administrative duti es of the counc il.
Th e council held four meetings during th e year to conduct business an d training. T opics included the Judicial Qualifications Commiss ion, domesti c violence, attorneys ' fees, media access to the courts, computer programs th at assist in tak ing applications for bad check prosecutions and search warrants, drug case problems from a prosecut or's perspective and th e discovery rul es as th ey apply to th e magistrate courts. Meetings also feature a lun cheon speaker and provide a forum for judges to discuss common problems and experiences. At th e January meetin g, th e council sponsored a breakfast for legislat ors and toured th e DeKalb County Sheriffs Office mHI jail.
The Georgia Magistra te Court Newsletter was publi shed quarterly, and the council began developing a pictorial directory.
- - - - - - - - Council of Probate Court Judges - - - - - - - -
The Council of Probate Court Judg es (OCGA 15-9-15), created to further improve-
ment of th e probate courts and the administration of justice, is compo sed of judges and retired judges of the probate courts .The council has developed uniform rules and forms, a probat e benchb ook, a probate handbook and a publicati on entitled Duties ofAdministrators and Executors ofDecendents ' Estates in Georgia.
Council policy is set by an executive committee com prised of the pr esident, president- elect, first vice president , secretary -treasure r and chairs of th e stan ding committees. Achange in the bylaws during fiscal year 1996 provided for a pr esidentelect and limited the president 's term to one year . It also crea ted a new standing comm ittee : the Audit and Budget Committee.
50

The council met four times during fiscal year 1996. Three meetings were held jointly with th e County Officers Association of Georgia. Judi cial training at each meeting was conducted by the Pr obate Jud ges Training Council. Th e Institute of Continuing Judicial Education assisted with the spring and fall seminars. Topics included computer training, ethics, election laws, expert witnesses, docum ent examiners, settlement of estates and compromised claims, gtll1 permits, COWIty officers' right s vs. Georgia Bureau of Investigation search and seizure, traffi c court issues, uniform rul es and a legislativ e update.
During th e 1996 session of th e General Assembly, th e council work ed successfully for pas sage of retirement bills dealing with spouse's benefits and options, judges' benefits and contributions, and benefits for the secretary-treasurer of th e retirement fund . Th ese retirement bills were pendin g from the previous session of th e General Assembly. Anoth er successful legislati ve effort gives concurrent jurisdiction to certain probate courts over misdemeanor cases charging possession of one oun ce or less of marijuana . Th e council also monitor ed legislati on on traffi c, fish and game matters, a bill allowing coun ty goveming authorities to set salaries, and oth er matters.
A ment oring program for new probate judges was laun ched. Th e Institute of Continuing Judicial Edu cati on began training of mentor judges in September .
The coun cil published "The Gavel," a newslett er on probate law and oth er ar eas of int erest, and an update to its pictorial directory . Th e council also designed a seal to be used for official council business.
- - - - - - - - Council of State Court Judges - - - - - - - -
The Council of State Court Jud ges (OCGA 15-7-26 ) was created to furth er improvement of th e state courts, the quality and expertise of judges, and the administration of justice. Its memb ership for fiscal year 1996 total ed 91 judges serving in 65 courts.
Counci l policies ar e set by its executive committee mad e up of the president , president-elect, secretar y, treasur er, immediate past president and two memb ers at larg e. The council has stan ding committees for stra tegic planning, educational progranuning, computers, uniform rules, resolutions and awards, COWIty probation, ra ce and gender equality, legislation , and new judge training aIld ment oring. Other committees ar e formed as needed to study ar eas of interest to th e courts.
Designated state court judges also serve on system-wide agencies, such as the Georgia Courts Automation Commission, th e Institute of Continuing Judi cial Education, the Supreme Court Commission on Equality , the Supreme Court Conunittee on Substance Abuse and the Courts, the GMA Muni cipal Courts Task Force, the State Bar's Commi ssion on Family Courts, and the Georgia Commiss ion on Dispute Resolution.
During fiscal year 1996 , the council continued its educational efforts. Two annual business meetin gs were held in conjunction with the spring and fall continuing edu cati on programs. The council also published a quarterly newslett er.
51

- - - - - - - Council of Superior Court Clerks - - - - - - -
The Council of Sup erior Court Clerks (OCGA 15-6-50 .2) , com posed of 159 superior court clerks, was crea ted by an act of th e General Assembly in 1990. Working with the Superior Court Clerks Training Coun cil and th e Institute of Continuing Judi cial Educa tion, the council furthers th e improvem ent of superio r court clerks in the perform an ce of their statu tory duties. The council also pr omotes and assists in training for superior court clerks.
Council officers are elected by the memb ers. In June 1996 , terms of office were redu ced from two years to one year by amendments to the counc il constitutio n an d bylaws.
During the year, the council purchased 26 complete sets of th e Official Code of Georgia, which ar e on loan to clerk s unable to secure local fund s for th e purchase.
Council officers continued to assist th e Georgia Superior Court Clerk s' Coopera tive Authority in its efforts to impl ement statutory requirem ent s relating to uniformity in record-keeping within the courts , as well as developing mandatory stan dards for use in statewide automated indi ces to real property records.
The Record, a quarterly publicati on, continues to update clerk s on new legislation, records management , techn ology, business administration, cour t management , general jurisprudence an d other topics of in terest to superior court clerks.
- - -- - - - Council of Superior Court Judges - - - - - - -
T he Council of Superior Court Ju dges (OCGA 1 5- 6- 34 ) was created in 1985 to fur ther improvement of the superior cour ts and th e administrati on of justice in Georgia . All superior cour t judges and retired superior cour t judges are eligible for council memb ership. At the end of fiscal year 1996 , th ere were 16 9 judges an d 69 senior (retired) judges in the superior cour ts. Twenty-fiv e of th ese were new judges were appointed during the year .
The council's executive commi ttee manages the proj ects and policies of the council. The commi ttee consists of three officers elected by th e entire memb ership , th e imm ediat e past pr esident and ten administrative judges. Central office staff assist the officers and executive commi ttee in identifying policy issues, promotin g long-range planning efforts, coordinating commi ttee activities , and pro vidin g a dministra tive support to the sentence review panels,
T he council holds two business meetings each year . um er ous standing an d special commi ttees recomm end actions in the ar eas of cont in uing education, courts auto ma tion, compensation and retir ement and in digent defense. Liai son committees work with other court officials, agencies and organizations .
T he council's four stra tegic goals ar e: 1) enhanced public support for th e superior court; 2) consistent, adequ at e resour ces and funding from th e state level; 3) a unified trial cour t system; and 4) efficient, effective use and selection of juries. DUling fiscal year 1996 , the Long-Range Planning Committee develop ed policies
52

to communicate th e role of th e su per ior cour t, formulated a pr opo sed structure for a unified 'trial court, and devised a survey of local superior court funding, An ori entation program for new judges provided information on stra tegic planning, ag en cy proj ect s and responsibilities.
The council initiated th e Judges Online project in 1996. Working with th e Department of Administrative Servi ces, th e counc il purchased personal com pu ters for judges and arranged connection to th e Georgia Online Network. Additional funds were committed for the purchase of software and fax machines for judges and personal computers for state -pai d law clerks.
The council approved Uniform Superior Court Rul e 39.9 , Court Information , to authorize a chi ef judge to require th e superior court clerk to furni sh case loa d managem ent reports. The council also approved amendments to Rul e 19.2, Transfer/Change of Venue: Criminal , to delet e material made superfluous by a statutory chan ge, and Rul e 44 , Habeas Corpus Pro ceedings in Death Senten ce Cases, which sets time limits for case proceedings pursuant to a 1995 law .
During the 1996 legislative session, th e counc il success fully advocated its bill to reduce from 65 to 60 th e age at which judges can receive full retirem ent benefit s with 16 years' service and to enh ance ben efits for judges serving past 16 years. An increase in the annual budget fund ed a new sta ff attorney position to assist judges assigned death penalty habeas cor pus cases WIder new Uni form Su pe rior Court Rule 44.
Continuing ed uc ati on semi nars for superior court judges were held in July/ August 1995 and January 1996. On e hundred and sixty-seven judges attended the summer program and 152 participated in th e winter program.

Sentence Review

Sentence review panels eval ua te the sen tences of convicted offenders to assure

that a giv en sentence is not excess ive in relation to sentences for similar crimes in

other circuits. In making comparisons, th e panel considers

the nature of th e crime and th e defendant's prior criminal record . Each senten ce revi ew panel is composed of three superior court judges. Panel members , including a substitute, are appointed and chairpersons are designated by th e council pr esident for three-month terms.
Review is available to a defendant who se sentence(s) total 12 or more years and were set by a superior court judge without a jury. Ex ception s include sente nces set in mi sd emeanor cases, murder cases wh ere a life sentence has been applied and ca ses involving a serious violent felony defined in OCGA 17-10-6.1 (a) (effectiv e January 1, 1995) . The panel may reduce or sus pen d sentences, but is prohibited from in creasing punishments,

Sentence Review Panel Caseload Summary

10- Year Comparison of Cases Reviewed
Cases Cases Percent ACCinl1ed Reduced Reduced

1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 199 2 1993 1994 1995 1996

2,485

63

2,273

87

1,889

74

2,804

72

2,79 0

113

2,557

57

2 ,362

46

1,627

45

859

57

854

8

2.5% 3.7 % 3 .8% 2.5% 3 .9% 2.2% 1.9% 2.7% 6 .2%
.9%

The panel process is set in motion up on appli cati on of a defendant. A defendant must act within 30 day s of the date sentenced by th e su perior court judge, or after remittitur from the Court of App eals or Suprem e Court

Note: Effective July 1, 1993, the panel 's jurisdiction was changed from covering sentences totalin g five or more years to covering sentences totalin g twelve or more years (OCGA 17-10- 6). This may partially account (or the decline seen in the num ber of cases reviewed .

53

affirming the conviction of the sent encing court, whichever occurs last. Panel action s are not reviewabl e and ord ers ar e binding on th e defendant and th e superior court that impo sed th e sentence.
The pan el affirmed 854 cases and redu ced 8 cases in fiscal year 1996 for a total caseload of 862. The redu ction rate for th e year was. 93 perc ent.
- - - - - Georgia Commission on Dispute Resolution - - - - -
The Georgia Commiss ion on Dispute Resolution (established by Georgia Court and Bar Rules-Alternative Dispute Resolution Rules II) succeeded th e Joint Commission on Alternative Dispute Resoluti on in February 1993. It is a policy-making body appointed by the Georgia Supreme Court to oversee th e development of court annexed and court-referred alt ernative dispute resolution (ADR) programs in Georgia. The members of th e commiss ion ar e judges, lawy ers and nonlawyers who meet on a bimonthly basis to guid e development of court-connected ADR in Georgia. Meetings of th e comm ission ar e open to the public.
The Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution serves as staff for the Georgia Commi ssion on Dispute Resolution. Its responsibilities include: 1) to serve as a resource for ADR education and research; 2) to provide technical assistance to new and existing court-connec ted programs at no charge; 3) to provide training to neutrals in courts throughout the state at no char ge, 4) to impl ement the comm ission's policies on qualification of neutrals and quality of progranls; 5) to maintain th e registry of neutrals; and 6) to collect statistics and monitor progranl effectiveness. A statewide database should be in plac e by January 1997, to standar dize the collection of ADR statistics.
The commi ssion and the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution have worked closely with approximately 27 court progranls, providing partial funding and techni cal assistance. Crants to local ADR programs have been made possible by funding from the Georgia Bar Foundation.
ADR court-connected services are now available in 70 count ies. Permanent funding for ADR progranls was legislated in April 1993 through a filing fee surchar ge of up to $5.00 in participating counties (OCGA 15-23-1-13) .
During fiscal year 1996, th e commission work ed to develop procedures for handling complaints brought against neutrals or when a neutral has violated the law or been disciplin ed by a professional organization. Improved quality control for court-connec ted ADR progranls was pursued through continuing education for neutrals, mentoring, training and statistics, as well as discipline of neutrals.
54

------ Georgia Courts Automation Commission ------
(Annual Report for calendar year 1996 , as required by OCGA 15-5 -82. )
GCAC, the Georgia Courts Automation Commission (OCGA 15-5-80 ), provides automation products and services to all levels of cour ts. Th e Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) provid es project direction , staff, fiscal services, and budget coordination for the commissio n. Additional staff support is provid ed by the Computer Services Division of th e Department of Administrative Services (DOAS).
A primary duty of th e commission is to define, implement and administer a statewide automation system for th e collection, entry, storage, processing, retrieval and intrastate distribution of cour t-related information. Th e commission's strategic planning focuses on adding local cour ts to the statewide automation network and coordi nating court automation technology to eliminate dup licatio n of effort and red uce costs . Advisory services are offered to local officials for automating their court procedures and operations.
Automated case management in th e su pe r ior cou r ts Th e SUSTAIN court case management software system has now been instal led in
25 of Georgia 's superior cour ts. Th e Douglas Judicial Circuit was the first singlecourt site, and th e Middle Judi cial Circuit (Candler, Emanuel, Jefferson, Toomb s and Wasllington Counties) was the first multi-county judi cial circuit to install th e system under GCAC's statewide license. Twenty other superior courts are currently using this software, including the Rome Circuit and all five counties in the orthern Circuit. ine mor e courts ar e in line for installation. An accounting modul e has recently been added to th e case-management system and is being tested in the superior courts of Elbert and White Counti es.
Th e Wasllington County Sup erior Court was the first SUSTAIN site to report automated criminal case dispositions electronically to th e Georgia Crime Information Cent er (GCIC). Data from the SUSTAIN system is tra nsferred electr onically on th e Statewide Computerized Information Network to the GCIC database. Electroni c data transmission reduc es or eliminates the need for local coun ties to submit data in pap er form , and improves th e timeliness, accura cy and completeness of information. Any cour t using th e SUSTA IN software can transmit dispositions electronically to GCIC. Work continues to establish electronic reporting to other state databases.
Pr osecutors can use th e SUSTAIN dat aba se as an offender-based system. Th e initial site for installation and testing of this new offender tra cking software produ ct is th e DA's office in th e Ogeechee Circuit.
The GCAC Help Desk is accessible to SUSTAIN users and superior cour t jud ges via a toll-free number. Users ma y contact state staff with questions about the hardware, software and use of th e Georgia Online (GO) Ietwork. Th e Help Desk now includes general support for superior court judges in using th eir computers, th e Windows operating system, word-processing applications, electronic mail and communications ,
55

Georgia Online etwork T he GCAC maint ains and supports the GO etwork connections for courts and
court personn el through a cooperative agreement with DOAS. In fiscal year 1996 , th e GO etwork was expan ded to includ e superior court judges through th e Judg es Onlin e project of th e Council of Superior Court Jud ges and plans were completed for establishing connections for all full-time state court judges.
Clerks of superior cour ts have been the backbone for th e cour ts' portion of th e GO Network since 198 9. Th e process of replacing th e outdated equipment install ed at that time in th e clerks' offices was accelerated in 1996 so th at by mid-1997 the replacement process will be complete.
Additional activities Georgia Jury is a jury-management software system that includes jury-
selection, check-writing and summo ns-producing capabilities. This service is currently in use by 50 superior courts. Th e program now allows automated transfer of registered voter lists into jury boxes.
Th e Michie Company of Charlottesville, VA, brings Georgia Law On Disc to approximat ely 500 judicial branch subscribers at no cost in most cases. Georgia Law On Disc contains the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (OCGA), th e rules of court, and decisions of th e Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. Requ ests for this product are processed thr ough GCAC.
Traffic Court Management Software System is available for the municipal courts. Th e product was pilot-tested in the municipal court of Lake City and is now available to any muni cipal court that handles traffi c cases . The Court Fee and Fine Accounting software is being adopted and tested for probate cour t use, and should be available durin g fiscal year 1997.
Use of the automated Uniform Tra ffic Citati on management system expan ded int o additional counties during the year . Th e software system assists local coun ties in tracking and reportin g traffi c offense data in electronic format to th e Georgia Department of Publi c Safety. Thi s software system, developed by DOAS, is used in 40 courts with traffic jurisdiction.
Toward th e end of the fiscal year , GCAC embarked on two projects with the Georgia Tech Resear ch Institute to design databases for th e superior and juvenile courts. Th ese multi-year projects will focus on th e collection, entr y, storage, processing an d retrieval of court-related information.
- - - - - - - Georgia Indigent Defense Council - - - - - - -
The Georgia Indigent Defense Act (OCGA 17-12) provid es a program of legal represent ati on for indigent defendants an d crea ted th e Georgia Indig ent Defense Council (GIDC). Th e council's 15 memb ers are appoin ted by th e state Supreme Cour t. Iembership includ es one lawyer from each of th e 10 judi cial administr ative distri cts, thr ee nonlawyers from the state at large and two coun ty commissioners.
56

The plITposes and duties of th e counc il ar e: 1) to administ er fund s provided by th e sta te and federal govemment to
sup port local indigent defense programs; 2 ) to recommend uniform guidelines for local programs; 3 ) to pro vid e local programs and attorn eys who represent indi gent defendants
with technical an d research assistan ce, clini cal and tr aining pr ograms and other adm.inistrative services; and 4 ) to pr epare budgets, reports an d management informati on required for implem entation of the Georgia Indi gent Defense Act. The council mon.itors implem ent ati on of Supreme COUll guidelines for operation of local indigent pr ograms. These guidelines cover appointment of counsel on a timely basis; eligi bility determ.inations and criteria to qualify indigents; stan dards for op eration of public defender offices, panel attorn ey programs and h.iring of cont rac t defenders; appoint ed attorney fees; pro cedures to insure th e ind epend ence of court -appoin ted counsel; roles and resp onsibilities of local indigent defense goveming committees; and th e mechanism for distribution of state -a ppro priate d fund s. During fiscal year 1996, monetary assistance was provid ed to 11 7 counties for operation of th eir indigent defense pr ograms. These grants, total ing nearl y $3 .5 million, were funded from state appropriations, th e Georgi a Bar Foundation an d th e Sh eriffs and Clerks Trust Account Progr am . During fiscal year 19 97 , 19 new counties will receive sta te funds for indi gent defense pr ograms. The counci l pr ovid es sign ificant in-kind assistan ce to local progr am s: The Comp liance Division distributes sta te funding to th e coun ties for th eir individual indigent defense pr ograms. The division monitors and evaluates county indigent defense programs sta tewide an d assists with improving representati on. The division also resp onds to requests for assistance from jail inmates an d directs defendants to appropriate legal resources. The Appellate Division was esta blished recentl y to: 1) afford appointed counsel a source for consultation, research and advi ce on appellate issu es and pro cedures; 2) assist th e other division s (particularly th e Multi county Public Defenders Office) in preparing appeals; and 3) pr epare and submi t on behalf of GrnC amicus bri efs on issu es sign ifican t to indigent defense. The Mental Health Advocacy Division (MHAD) is a statewide resource center for attorneys an d service provid ers who work with mentally ill criminal defendants. Attorneys wh o represent indigent criminal defendants having mental health pr obl em s can cons ult MHAD on pretrial motions, stra tegies, an d int erpretati on of mental health information. Recent legislation allows MHAD a ttorneys to dir ectly represent defendants who hav e alr ead y been found not guilty by reason of insanity. Where th ere is a local attorn ey, MHAD will pr ovide ongoing support and consultation . During fiscal year 1996, MHAD initiated 128 cases , closed 177 an d, at th e en d of th e fiscal year, had 133 open cases . MHAD conducts seminars for attorneys, hospital staff and commun ity mental health provid ers. The Multicounty Public Def enders Office (il1PD) is a trial resource cen ter for attorneys handling death penalty cases . The office pr ovides assistance in three areas by: 1) pr oviding training and assistance to attorn eys who hav e been
57

appointed to defend defendants charged with a capital offense; 2) serving as cocounsel to assist locally app ointed lead counsel in the trial and direct appeal of cases where the defendant faces the death penalty; and 3) accepting appointments to provide direct representation as lead counsel in death penal ty cases.
Th e Professional Edu cation Division sponsors semin ars specifically designed for indigent defense att orneys. These seminars ar e conducted throughout th e state with local experts and prominent crimin al defense attorn eys serving as faculty. As a service to counties, these seminars ar e offered "at cost" to atto rneys accepting appointed cases. Th e goal is to enhance the abiliti es of defense attorneys who can provid e effective representation for indigent clients.
A Juvenile Advocacy Division will begin work in July 1996 to provide support and consultation to attorneys and guardians ad litem who represent clients in actions and proceedings of the juvenile courts . In addition to individual case consultation, the sta ff will conduct training seminars, provide training materials to judges and atto rneys, and tra ck the effects of legislation impacting juveniles.
- - - - - Georgia Magistrate Courts Training Council - - - - -
(Annual Report for calendar year 1996, as required by OCGA 15-10-134 .)
Th e Georgia Magistr ate Cour ts Training Council (OCGA 15-10-132) supervises continuing judicial education requirements for magistrate cour t judges and prescribes minimurn stan dar ds for magistrate training curricula and th e criteria for magistrate certi fication. Th e council approves instructor qualifications and issues

Georgia Magistrate Courts Training Council: 1996 Seminars

Seminar 40 -Hour Cert ification Ju dging a nd Human ities Judicia l Use of Comp uters Constitutiona l Crimin al Procedure Judi cial Ethics 20- Hour Certificatio n 40 -Hour Certification 20 -Hour Certificati on Judicial Use of Comp uters Const itutiona l Crimina l Procedure Judi cial Ethics

Location Athens Athens Athens Unicoi Unicoi
Sava nnah At he ns Atlan ta At he ns Unicoi Unicoi

Attendees 38 20 10 64 22 160 45 68 12 68 35

Notes:
458 magistr ates were certified by training in 1996.
2 magistr ates comp leted their training in 1996 for a delinquency for 1995 as ordered by the Ju dicial Qualifica tions Commission.
Additional attendees included ma gistrates who a ttende d more than one program, judges of other courts and trainers.
3 magistrates became certified by atte nding training a t the Nati onal Ju dicial Councilor by teachin g other magis tra tes.

Total

542

58

training certifi cati on to chief magi strates and magistrates who satisfactorily comply with mandatory continuing judi cial education programs.
onlawyer magi strat es who ar e newly elected or appointed must attend the first scheduled certification course after assuming office and successfully complete 40 hours of training. T o maintain certified status, all magistr at es (including those who ar e memb ers of the State Bar of Georgia ) must fulfill an annual 20-hour recertification training requirement . In 1996, the recertification program included a new course on pretrial release conditions in domestic violence cases.
In calendar year 1996, th e training council sponsored two 40-hour seminars covering civil and criminal matters. Magistr at es needing recertification training may attend part of a 40-hour program to fulfill the 20 -hour requirement . Two 20-hour recertification programs were held. In addition, three specialty courses were offered: Judging and Humanities; Judi cial Use of Computers; and Constitutional Criminal Pr ocedure. The council also sponsored training for magistrate court clerks and secretaries .
The training council now allows recertification credit for attendance at programs oth er than th e tr aditional 20-hour programs. Th e requirement for a traditional course at least every oth er year has been dropp ed. Up to four hours of credit per year ma y be obtained by attending training at the Council of Magistr ate Court Jud ges quarterly meetings.
In conjunc tion with the Council of Magistrat e Cour t Jud ges, the council continued its ment or judges program. Th e Institute of Continuing Judi cial Education assigns new judges to ment or judges. No more than two judges are assigned to each mentor.
The following publications were distributed: the Magistrates Benchbook (to new magistrates) or its update (to sitting magistrates), th e Georgia Magistra te Court Handbook or its supplement by Jud ge Wayne M. Purdom, an d the Magistra te Court Guide by Jud ge Johnny W. Warren. In addition, magistrates were given a choice of receiving eithe r th e Georgia La w Enforcement Handbook published by the Harrison Company or the Michie Compan y's Georgia Criminal and Traffic La w Manual.
The coun cil also provides the Automat ed Fee and Fine Accounting System to judges on requ est.
- - - - - Georgia Municipal Courts Training Council - - - - -
(Annual Report for calendar year 1996 , as required by OCGA 36-32-24 )
The Georgia Municipal Courts Training Council (OCGA 36-32-22) prescrib es minimum requirements for curric ula and criteria for trainin g of municipal court judges and supervises completion of the continuing education requirements. Th e counc il sets minimum qualifi cations for instructors, approves schools, keeps train ing record s, and issues certificates of course completion.
ewly app oint ed or elected judges must attend a 20-hour certification course within twelve months of assuming office. All other municipal court judges must
59

Georgia Municipal Courts Training Council: 1996 Seminars

Seminar

Location

12 -Hour Recertifica tion

Sava nnah

20-Hour Certifica tion

Athen s

Judicial Use of Com puters

Athens

20-Hour Certificati on

Athen s

Fa culty Training and Course Devel. Athens

Judging and Humanities

Athen s

Constitutional Criminal Pr ocedure Unicoi

Judicial Ethics

Unicoi

Judicial Use of Computers

Ath en s

To ta l

Attendees 170 58 16 41 12 14 12 7 9
339

Notes:
Some judges a tte nd more than one seminar, and municipal court judges may attend oth er ICJE-sponsored semi na rs for judges of othe r trial courts or national judicial educa tional programs relevant to their duties as municipal court judges. Therefor e, total numbers certified do not match attendees.
13 judges were required to attend calendar year 1996 training courses to complete their 1995 training requirem en ts.

att end 12 hours of instruction annually to maintain their certification. All pro hac vice or pro tern appointees also must be certified.
With the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education (ICJE), the training council offered two initial and seven recertification courses. Th e initial certification course includes the following topic areas: serious traffic offenses, caseload management and cour t administration, judicial ethics and discipline, professionalism, local ordinan ce adjudication , and criminal law and procedure.
In calendar year 1996, the recertification courses focused on traffic case adjudication and criminal procedure. Course offerings also included constitutional criminal procedure, bench skills, computer appli cations for the courts, judicial ethics and a judging and humanities specialty course . There were 31 new judges certified in 1996 and 316 judges were recertified.
Courses sponsored by the training council ar e usually creditable as mandatory continuing legal education hours for part-tim e judges who practice law. Municipal court judges have the option of attending nationally sponsored judicial training such as the annual ABA traffi c seminar, National Judi cial College courses, and those of the Institute for Court Management. Other ICJE training is creditable if the subject matter is relevant to the duties of a muni cipal court judge.
As educational tools to furth er improv e the operation of the municipal courts, the training council established a benchbook commi ttee in 1994, funded adaptation of the magistrates fee and fine accounting aut omation package for municipal courts, and provided each judge with a copy of the Georgia Law Enforcement Handbook published by Harrison Company. Th e benchbook was distributed in early 1996.

60

------ Georgia State-Federal Judicial Council - - - ---
The State-Fed eral Judicial Council (Supre me Court Order , ov. 9, 1990) was establishe d to fost er a cooperative relationship betw een th e state and fed eral judiciaries of Georgia. Council membership includes all fed eral jud ges in Georgia , justi ces of th e Georgia Supreme Court, judges of th e Georgia Court of App eals and judges of the superi or and sta te cour ts.
The executive commi ttee is com prised of th e chief judge of th e Eleventh Circ uit Court of App eal s; three U.S. District Court jud ges and one U.S . Bankrupt cy Cour t judge named by th e chie f judge of th e Elevent h Circuit Court of Appeals; th e chie f justi ce of the Georgia Supreme Court; th e chief judge of th e Georgia Court of App eal s; five superior court judges nam ed by th e chie f justice; th e pr esid ent of th e Counc il of Su perior Cour t Judges; an d th e pr esid ent-elect an d imm ediate pa stpr esid ent of th e State Bar of Georgia .
The June 1996 annual meeting, planned by th e executive comm ittee, featured a progranl en title d "T he Effect of th e Automatic Stay and th e Discharge in Bankruptcy on Dom esti c Relation s Cases " The meetin g was held at the Sta te Bar of Georgia annual meetin g.
- - - - - Institute of Continuing Judicial Education - - -- -
More than 2,800 judges, cour t officials an d judi cial personnel attende d pr ograms deliver ed by th e Institute of Continuing Judicial Education (ICJE) in fiscal year 1996. This high attendan ce figure places the ICJE am ong th e top continuing judicial educa tio n agen cies in th e count ry.
As an administrative arm of the Su preme Cour t (Supreme Court Order , Jan. 26 , 1979), th e institute ha s had responsibility for th e training of all judicial personnel since 1981. Training stan dards for members hav e been ad opt ed by th e various courts and judges' councils. Supreme COWl justi ces and Court of App eal s judges must com plete a minimum of 12 hours of instruction each year, with at least two h ours devot ed to legal or judicial ethics , Superior cour t judges are required to atten d judicial ed uca tio n programs tot aling at least 12 hours per year, including two h ours of judicial ethics every two yea rs. Rule 43 of th e Uniform Rules for th e State Courts mandates th at sta te court judges a tte nd cont inuing legal and/or judicial educatio n courses totaling 24 hours every two years. The tot al mu st include two eth ics hours. Juv enil e COUll judges are required to com plete 12 hours of con tinuin g education each year.
The Probate Judges T ra ining Counc il requires that pr obate cour t judges com plete training for new judges and 12 hours of contin uing educatio n annually. Magistrate court judges fulfill an initial 40-hom train ing requirem ent (attorney m agistrates are exe m pt) an d annua lly atte nd 20-homs of recertifica tion training. Muni cipal court judges com plete an annual 12-hour certifica tion course. New judges must fulfill a 20-hour training requirement.
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Superior cour t clerks complete 40 hours in basic certification and 15 hours in yearly recertifi cation training courses .
Seminars In fiscal year 1995, the institute offered programs for judges of the superior,
state, juvenile, probate, magistrate and municipal courts. In addition, training was provided for clerk s of cour t, judg es' secretar ies, juvenil e cour t probation officers, court administrators and administrative law jud ges. For more information on seminars, please refer to th e chart on page 63.
The handling of domestic violence cases received special em phasis in th e recertifi cation courses for municipal and magi strate cour t judges. Superior and probate court judges and superior court clerk s also received training on thi s topi c. The ra ce, gender, ethn icity and status fairn ess provi sions of Georgia's new Code of Judicial Conduct were treat ed in judicial ethics and professionalism instruction for judges in all classes of court.
Oth er ICJE initiatives during fiscal year 1996 included th e following: Mentoring sessions for new superior and magi strate court judges. Computer training for jud ges focused on legal research (Georgia Law on
Disc), word processing and advanced, multi-tasking uses of computers. Training and software distribution for magi strate judges Oil issuing search
warrants, the handling of bad checks, and fee and fine accounting. The Municipal Courts Training Council completed and distributed a bench-
book.
Administration The ICJE fiscal year 1996 operating budget of $1 ,096,996 was initially
allocated as follows: $48,000 for nationally based travel of superior court judges; $334 ,724 for administration and training of magi strate cour t judges and staff; $98,850 for administration and training of municipal court judges and staff; $555,959 for general administration operations; and $59 ,463 for on- site services, mandatory continuing legal education fees and special proj ects. Of 39 applications for finan cial aid to attend national courses, 38 were granted some level of funding.
The ICJE board of trustees is made up of representatives from th e courts and judicial organizations. The board includes one Court of App eals judge; two memb ers of th e Council of Sup erior Court Judg es; a representative from th e coun cils of state, juvenile, probate and magi strate court judges; on e representative from the Sup erior Court Clerk's Association; one memb er of th e State Bar of Georgia ; and an appoint ee of the Judi cial Coun cil. Ex officio memb ers include th e immediate pa st chairpersons of both ICJE and th e Institute of Continuing Legal Education boards of tru stees, and th e deans of Georgia's four accr edit ed law schools. A liaison memb er representing th e Supreme Court and an advi sory memb er also serve on the board.
During the final month of the fiscal year, ICJE moved its offices into newly constructed space in the University of Georgia Law School com plex.
62

Institute of Continuing Judicial Edu cation: Fiscal Year 1996 Instru ctional Activ ities

Date

Pro gram

location Attend e es

Dat e

Program

location Attendees

July 31-Aug. 2 Superior co urt judges

summ er sem inar

St. Simons

172

August 7-9 Municipal court judges

12-hou r recertification

Savan n ah

170

August 13-18 Juvenile cou rt prob ation o fficers

basic training

Savannah

25

August 28-30 Magistrates 20-hour recerti fication Savannah

141

Sept. 6-8

Municipal 20-hou r certificat ion

At he ns

58

Sept. 10- 15 Magistrates 40 -hou r cert ification Athen s

27

Sept. 20-22 Geo rgia Assoc iation of

Independent Juvenile Cou rts

Perso nn el fall sem inar

Dalton

93

Sept. 21-22 Magistrate court judges specialty

co urse: Advanced med iation

Athen s

13

Sept. 27-29 Magistrates 20 -hou r recertification Atlant a

105

Oct. 5-6

Municipal court judges

speci alty co urse :

Judicial use of computers

Athen s

16

Oct . 11-13 State court judges fall seminar

Brasstown Valley 59

Oc t. 12-13 Administrative law judges

annua l seminar

Atlanta

78

Oct. 25 -27 Probate co urt cle rks seminar

Gainesville

40

Nov. 1-3

Magistrate court judges

spec ialty course: Constitution al

crim inal procedure

Unico i

40

Nov. 1-3

Magistrate co urt judges

spec ialty cou rse: Judici al ethics

Unico i

21

Nov. 6-8

Juven ile cou rt judges fall semina r Unico i

72

Nov. 14- 18 Supe rior cou rt clerks fall seminar Savannah

125

Nov. 14- 18 Probate court judges fall semina r Savann ah

50

Nov. 14-16 Traffic co urt issues for

probate co urt judges

Savann ah

76

Dec . 6-9

Geo rgia Dep t. of labor

adm inistrative hearing officer

co nfere nce

Pine Mounta in 33

Dec . 15

Me ntoring for magistrates

Athens

11

Jan . 9

Supe rior co urt clerks wi nter semina r Atlanta

30

Jan. 9

Probate court judges wi nter semi nar Atlanta

43

Jan. 16-19

Superior court judges winter semina r Athen s

154

Jan. 17-20

Court ad ministrators an nual semina r Athen s

15

Feb. 7-9

Munic ipal cou rt judges

20-hour ce rtification

Athe ns

41

Feb. 8-9

New judge or ient atio n- state court Athen s

7

Feb. 11-17 Magistrates 40-hou r ce rtificatio n Athen s

38

Feb. 22-23

Fac ulty training and cou rse

deve lopm ent for magistrate and

municipa l court judges

Athen s

32

March 6-8 March 11-1 3 March 12-13 March 25-27
March 27-2 9
March 29 April 10-12 April 17-19 April 22-24 May 1-3 May 7-9 May8-10
MayB -l0
May 22-24 May 22-24 May 22-24 June 5-7 june 11 june 13-14
june 24-28 june 28

Magistrate co urt cler ks

and sec retaries annual semina r

Brasstown Valley 101

Magistrate co urt judges specia lty

co urse: Judging and hu ma n ities

Athen s

8

Mun icip a l court judges spec ialty

course: Judging and hum anities

Athe ns

14

Wo rkers' compensat ion

ad ministrative law judges

annual semi nar
Magistrate co urt judges

St. Simon s

25

spec ialty co urse:

Judicial use of co mputers

Athens

10

Correction s tour - Geor gia

Diagnostic Cent e r

Jackson

14

Probate court judges spring semina r Athens

175

Judici al secretaries annual

seminar

Sava nnah

115

Juven ile court judges

sp ring semi nar Advanced judicial uses

St. Simon s

99

of com puters

Athens

7

Superior court c lerks spring

se minar Magistrate and mun icip al

Je kyll Island

149

court judges spec ialty cour se:

Co nstitutional criminal proc edure Un ico i

56

Magistrate and mu nicipal

court judges specia lty course:

jud icial ethics State court judges

Unico i

22

spring seminar

Jekyll Island

66

Juven ile court prob ation o fficers

spring seminar

Jekyll Island

10 7

juvenil e cou rt clerks

ann ual semin ar

Jekyll Island

48

Probate co urt clerks

sp ring seminar

Jekyll Island

70

Supe rior court clerks

summe r se m inar

Jeky ll Island

31

Mun icipal co urt judges

specialty course:

Judicial use of com puters

Athe n s

9

Juven ile court probat ion office rs

basic training

l a w ren c eville

25

Georg ia l aw on Disc train ing

Athe n s

7

63

- - - - - -- - Judicial Administrative District s - - - - - - - -
Regional court administrati on for the superior cour ts is organized through th e Judicial Admini stration Act of 1976 (OCGA 15-5-2, 3, 4) . Ea ch of 10 judi cial administrative distri cts is served by an administrative judge and district court administrator selected by the superior cour t jud ges and senior judges of that district.
Admini strative jud ges have statuto ry authority to com pile caseload data and other information and to assign superior court jud ges, with th eir approval, to serve temp orarily in othe r coun ties and circuits as needed.
District cour t adm inistra tors assist chief judges in pr eparing, pr esenting and managing local cour t budgets and fun ction as liaisons betw een superio r courts and local govenunent officials, court personn el and the crimin al justice system. They also screen and int erview applicants for trial court administrator, law clerk , court reporter and oth er court support positions. Distri ct staff assist chief judges and clerk s in automated jury selection, revision of jury boxes and orientation sessions for jury commiss ioners,
Distri ct court administrators hav e been instrumental in implementing alt ernative dispute resoluti on projects and educating cour t staff and local bar associations on the value of such projects. In at least three distri cts, ADR progranls opera te on a distri ctwid e basis with funding from joint county boards of tru stees of ADR fund s.
In fiscal year 19 96 , district staff continued to coordinate an ongoing effort to provide superior cour t judges with access to th e Georgia Online Network. In coopera tion with the Georgia Courts Automation Commission and Department of Administrative Services computer opera tions staff, automated case -management, calen daring and record-keepin g appli cati ons were introdu ced .
Oth er projects an d activities by district court admi nistrators include: grant applicati on and gra nt management , space and facilities man agem ent; courtho use renovati on and planning; video arraignm ent an d conferenci ng; cour t delay redu ction; record s retention and management ; indigent defense pr ogranls; sponsorship of divor cing parent semin ars; and management of high-profile cases.
Distri ct cour t administrators work with commi ttees of th e Council of Sup erior Court Jud ges and the Judicial Coun cil of Georgia and serve on local , state and national committees for the administrati on of justice and court management.
- - - - -- - - Judicial ominating Commission - - - - - - - -
The Judi cial Nominating Commiss ion (Executiv e Order , February 27 , 1995) solicits nominations of qualifi ed individuals to fill vacant or newly create d judgeship s. The governo r selects new judges from a list of can didates pr epared by th e commission.
Qualifi cati ons for judi cial offices are specified either by th e state cons titu tion or statute. The commission seeks nomin ati ons from civic leaders and the legal comm un ity. Comm ission memb ers evaluate each can didate ba sed on a stan dar d qu estionnaire and a legal article or brief submitte d by th e can didate. The commis -
64

sion also conducts in terviews with th e candidates and with attorneys who kn ow the candidate.
T he commission held 14 meetings in fiscal year 1996 to consider candidates for a total of 33 judi cial vacan cies. T hese includ e: one vacancy on th e Court of Appeals; 21 superior court vacancies in th e following circuits: Alcovy (1), Appalachian (1), Atlanta (3 ), Augusta (2) , Cha ttahoochee (2), Cobb (2) , Conasauga (1), Coweta (2) , Macon (1) , orthern (1) , Oconee (1), Ogeechee (1), Piedm ont (1), Southern (1) and Western (1) ; and 11 state cour t vacancies in the following counties: Carroll (1), Clayton (1) , Cobb (3) , Fulton (4) , Lowndes (1) and Muscogee (1) .
Sinc e 1973, th e commission has acted on a total of 287 judgeshi ps, including 17 Supreme Cou rt vacan cies, 17 Court of Appeals vacancies, 171 superior court seats, 73 state cour t posts, two municipal court judgeship and three civil cour t vacan cies.
T he nin e-member conunission includ es three individu als appointed by the governo r who mu st be memb ers of th e State Bar and four non-l awyer positionstwo appoint ed by th e governo r, one by the lieut enant governo r and one by the speak er of th e Hou se of Representatives. Appoint ed memb ers serve at the pleasure of the appointing autho rity. The pr esident of the State Bar of Georgia an d the state atto rn ey genera l are ex-officio memb ers.
------- Judicial Qualifications Commission -------
The Judicial Qu alifications Commission (JQC) responds to inquiries from judges regarding appropri at e judicial conduct, directs investigations int o complai nts involving memb ers of th e state judiciary and holds hearings on allegations of judi cial miscon du ct. Its powers derive from the Georgia Constitution (Art. VI, VIl, '11 6 ).
Grievan ces against judges ar e usually initi at ed by a written, verified complaint to the commi ssion. Alleged miscondu ct or pr otests mu st be based on one of the canons of th e Code of Judi cial Conduct. Croun ds for action includ e: 1) willful misconduct in office, 2 ) willful and persistent failur e to perform duti es, 3 ) habitual int emp eran ce, 4) con duct pr ejudi cial to the administration of justice which brings the judi cial office int o disrepute, an d 5) disability which seriously int erferes with the performan ce of judi cial du ties an d which is or is likely to become perm an ent.
During fiscal year 1996, the conunission held 11 meetings. A recomm endati on
of removal for failure to com plete OCGA 15-1 0-137 (c) train ing requ irements was
filed in one case; the matter remains open pending a final decision by the Georgia Supreme Cour t. Three judges elected to volunt arily resign rather than respond to possibl e formal charges . In addition, th e commission received and acted up on 160 matters, including 133 com plain ts and 27 requ ests for opinion. Eleven com plaints and one request for opinion were still pending from fiscal year 1995. At year end, 16 complaints (including a matter now before the Supreme Court ) were pending.
T he 134 judges named in the 133 new complaints (one complaint named two superior court judges) included one Supreme Court justice; 42 superior cour t jud ges; four senior judges; six state cour t judges; 11 probate court judges; 44 magistrate judges; five juvenile court judges; 10 municipal cour t judges; one city cour t judge;
65

one traffic court judge; two pro-hac judges; one administrative law judge; and six can didates for judicial office.
Including carryovers from fiscal year 1995, th e commission handled 128 com plain ts as follows: 28 dismissed as appropriate for appeal as a matter of law, un support ed or with out merit; 54 dismissed aft er minimal inv estigation; two dismissed after a conference with th e judge; one dismissed after subs tantial investigation; three jud ges resigned voluntarily ; one judge was remo ved (wlder five separ ate complain ts); seven jud ges were privately reprimanded; 26 judges were admonished or caut ioned by letter to avoid recurrence of th e action giving rise to complaint; one judge was dismissed due to a Rule 20 (Confidentiali ty and Exceptions) violation; one judge was admonished and, under JQC Rule 4 (d), a report of thi s dispo sition was filed with th e Georgia Supreme Court.
Tw enty-eight requ ests for ad visory opinio ns were disposed of as follows: 13 formal opin ions were issued; th e commission declined to give an opini on in one case; and 14 informal opinions were issued .
In one formal pro ceedin g, the U.S. Supreme Cour t denied a respondent's petition for Writ of Certiorar i and subsequent Motion for Reconsid eration , and th e matter (held over from fiscal year 1995 ) was closed.
In tile second formal proceeding, th e Georgia Su preme Court decided by unanimous opinion to approve the commission's reconunendation to ord er a judge removed from office instanter. T he reconunendation followed a six-day hearing held in fiscal year 1995. No furth er review was sought. The judge ste pped down .
Known sources of com plaints for th e fiscal year included : 87 litigants or th eir relatives, 20 judges, two auxiliary judicial personnel, 25 attorneys, three nonlitigants, one public official and 18 others.
The commission staff processed approximat ely 744 requests for complain t forms. Of th ese, 115 com plain ants returned with 118 com plain ts. Sixty -one complaints were docketed and 57 were returned to th e com plainant without action becau se th ey involved rulings of law or discretionary matters over which tile commission has no jurisdiction. In addition, some 64 complaints filed on outdated form s, State Bar grievance form s or by letters were returned to com plainants for the same reason. The comm ission staff also handled telephone inquiries from citizens and judges and conferre d privately with three judges about instances of conduct not warran ting formal charges . Commission m emb ers also participated in seminars on judicial ethics and th e role of tile commission iII goven ling judicial conduct.
A contract to publish and distribute all updat ed and revised editio n of tile JQC Opinions otebook was executed. Copies will be available in January 19 97 .
The seven-member commission operates under esta blishe d procedural rul es. All pro ceedings-s-including complain ts, conferences, communications and decisionsare confiden tial, with the exception of notice of formal hearings, formal hearings, report s recommending discipline and decisions aft er a hearing in which a judge was found not guilty of misconduct.
Members of tile commission includ e two judges of courts of record appointed by tile Su preme Cour t, three atto rneys naIlled by tile Board of Governors of th e State Bar of Georgia and two citizens selected by tile governor. A director, investigator and secretary serve as staff.
66

Synopses of fisca l year 1996 JQC op inions
Revised Opinion 201. (Revised and reissued in July, 1995.) Judi cial participation in th e formulation , distribution and/or dissemination of family violence protocols for use by judges is inappropriate. However , participation in certain limit ed aspects of th e work of Family Violence Task For ces is permi ssible provided such service does not cast doubt on th e capacity of judges to impartially decide issu es coming before th em. Th e commission furth er suggests that the proper judi cial use of such materials as th e Model Judi cial Protocol for Family Violence Incid ents proposed by th e Georgia Commis ion on Family Violence is for education and not pr ejudgment.
Opinion 202. Judicial participation on a County Board of Ethics established to hear complaints against elected public officials is inappropriate, nor shoul d judges appoint a designee to serve on such boards.
Opinion 203. Recognizing the fact that most judges in this state must th emselves periodically seek election to public office, the mere attendance by a can didate for judicial office at a fundraising event would not , standing alon e, constitute a "public endorsement" prohibited by Canon 7A(11)( b). Similarly, a candidate's attendance at politi cal party bu siness meetings relating to fund raising would not be inappropriate provided the judge is not a memb er of the commi ttee and does not participate, eithe r dir ectly or indirectly, in an y fundrai sing efforts on behalf of the party or any can didate of th e party.
Opinion 204. The fact that counsel for a party is an announced candidate for tile judicial position th en held by th e trial judg e is not a per se ground for disqualification under Canon 3E(1). However , if a judge is in fact biased or prejudi ced toward a party and/or counsel becau se such counse l is seeking the judicial office th en held by such judge, or for any oth er reason, or if, in addition to th e politi cal contest, other related circumstances ar e such that th e judge's impartiality might rea sonably be qu estioned , said judge ha s an affirmative duty to recu se, and a failure to do so may be chall eng ed in th e appropriate forum.
Opinion 205. A candidate for judi cial office may not personally seek any form of publi c expression of support or other form of written endorsement for use in a judicial cam paign as such conduc t is the activity int end ed to be pr ohibited by the language of Canon 7B(2 ) forbidding the solicitation of publicly stated support . Such language does not , however , prohibit candidates from personally establishing campaign com mittees to und ertake such activiti es nor from thereaft er publicizing tile names of th e individual commi ttee memb ers.
Opinion 206. If senior judges desire to engage in political activity, such judges shall first declare themselves ineligibl e to serve as judges in compliance with existing court rul es and th ereafter refrain from using eithe r th eir titl es or judi cial positions to further tile int erests of any politi cal candidate.
67

Opinion 207. Fair and truthful criticism of an opponent is not prohibited by Cano n 7B(1 )(c), but such criticism ma y not be of such a nature as to bring th e can didate's own impartiality or that of the judiciary into question.
Opinion 208. It is inappropriate for a judicial can didate to act as a leader or hold any office in a political organization .
Opinion 209 . It is inappropriate for a sitting judge to display a bumper sticker on his personal vehicle mging the re-election of a sitt ing superior court judge.
Opinion 210. It is inappropri at e for a can didate for judicial office to p ersonally solicit cam paign fund s in a newspaper adv ertisement or othe rwise.
Opinion 211. It is inappropriate for a can didate for judicial office to use th e designation '"Judge" in political adv ertising without clearly designating th erein the judicial position currently held by such can didate.
Opinion 212 . It is inappropriate for a can didate for judicial office to use the designation "Judge" in political adv ertising if in fact th e can didate does not presently hold a judicial position .
Opinion 213. Neith er the Code of Judi cial Conduct nor applicabl e advi sory opinions permits a cont ested judicial election to be conducted as if it were a rac e for some oth er political office in which no ethical restraints are mandated and any such conduct will be closely scrutin ized and appropriately sanc tione d, when necessary.
Opinion 214. The mere use of th e word "conservative" in a political adv ertisement would not be inappropriate.
- - - - - - Supreme Court Commission on Equality - - - - - -
A Supreme Court ord er established th e Supreme Court Commission on Equality on Decemb er 13, 1995, for one year . The Equality Commission was form ed to contin ue the work of the Supreme Court Committee for Gender Equality (established in 1992) and the Supreme Court Conunission on Racial and Ethnic Bias in th e Courts (established in 1993), which had reached th e en ds of th eir initial tenus. Th e general objective of th e conunission is to address concern s related to bias or prejudice in Georgia 's court system ba sed upon rac e, sex, religion, national origin , disability, age, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status .
The commission's tasks include: formulating and proposing guidelines, stan dards and procedures to impl ement the commis sion's recommendations; developing appropriate mandatory judi cial and legal education course material ; serving as a resour ce to the media ; educating the public about domestic violence, resources for victims and protection available und er Georgia law; developing a mechanism for
68

processing bias complaints about judges and lawyers' behaviors; and working with the Judi cial Nominating Commission to encourage more individuals from ra cial and ethnic minorities to app ly for judgeships.
At its initial meeting, th e new commission assessed the status of ongoing projects. Committees were form ed to organize efforts in six subject areas summ arized here:
The Complain t Com m ittee continued efforts begun by th e Gend er Equality Committee, devising a form and procedures for submitting complaints based on an y kind of bias.
The Mandatory Trai ning Com m ittee created a comprehensive listing of all training/informational material s available through the Administrative Office of th e Courts (AOC) and the Institute of Continuing Judi cial Edu cation.
The Program s Com m ittee work ed on completing a bias-fr ee language brochure begun by the Gender Equality Committee.
The Cou rt Interpret ers Comm ittee developed an oath for interpreters and a code of professional responsibility. Guidelines for interpreters and proposed material for use in judges' benchboo ks were developed. The committee also worked with th e AOC to create a registry for interp reters.
The Diversity in th e Workpla ce Com mittee began developing a Car eer Day package to highlight th e typ es of work available in the courts. Th e commi ttee also updated information gathered by the Gender Bias and Racial and Ethnic Bias Commissions on th e demographic makeup of the judiciary .
Late in th e year , th e Juvenile Justi ce Comm ittee was formed to review specific recomm endations of the earlier commissions and develop a plan of impl ementation.
The Georgia Equality Commission hosted the ann ual meeting of th e ati onal Consortium of Task Forces and Commissions on Racial and Ethnic Bias in the Courts on May 10-11 in Atlanta. Th e focus ofthe meeting was "Justice and Women of Color. "" More than 80 men and women from 27 states and th e Distri ct of Columbia attend ed. Georgia commission members and staff facilitated the meeting as hosts, panel memb ers and discussion group leaders.
- - - Supreme COUl't Commission on Racial and Ethnic Bia s - - -
Th e Supreme Court Commission on Racial and Ethnic Bias in the Court System (Supreme COlUl Ord er, Feb. 1, 1993 ) was created to: 1) determin e how th e publi c and the cour ts perceive tr eatment of minorities and ethn ic groups; 2) examine courtroo m tr eatment and determin e the extent to which minorities and ethnic groups use th e court system voluntarily; 3) stu dy court administrative policies and review selection and em ployment processes for judicial and nonjudi cial positions; 4) investigate th e impact of bias in both criminal and civil justice processes; and 5) review oth er appropriate areas.
In Sept emb er, the Commi ssion issued a 246-page report, Let Justice Be Don e: Equally, Fairly, and Impartially, containing a summary of the investigations
69

and inquiries mad e by th e commission, th e findin gs of th e commission, and recommendati ons for changes and improvements in the court system. The report identifi es " bias again st th e economically disadvantaged " as a pr obl em that seriously affects min oriti es, and many of the report 's recommendation s attempt "to address th e impact of economic disadv antage on minority citiz ens in th e justice system. "
T he report contains 114 separa te recommendati ons for changes in th e judicial syste m. Based on th e studies, attit ude surveys, public hearings and othe r research, th e commission developed problem sta tements, findings and r ecommendations that were gro uped as follows: Attitudes and Awar eness; Work Force Diversit y; Access to th e Cour ts; Legal Representation for Persons Una ble to Afford Private Counse l; Criminal Justice System; Juri es; and Juvenil e Justi ce.
Copies of th e report are availa ble from th e Administ rative Office of th e Courts. In Decemb er, th e Georgia Supreme Court crea ted th e Su preme Court Commission on Equality to contin ue th e work of th e Conunission on Racial and Ethnic Bias and th e Committee for Gend er Equality (both had reached th e end of th eir initial terms). For more information, please see page 68.
70

- - - - - - - Judicial Appointments and Elections: Fiscal Year 1996 - -- - -- -

SUPREME COURT
Justice P. Harris Hines, appointed for the term July 26, 199 5 Dec . 31, 1996.
SUPERIOR COURTS
Alcovy Judicial Circuit Judge Samu el D. Ozburn, app ointed Jan. 1, 1996 - Dec. 31, 1996.
Appalachian judicial Circuit Judge Brenda S. Weaver, appointed April 2, 1996 - Dec. 31, 1996.
Atlanta judicial Circuit Judge Wendy Lee Shoob , appoi nted March 4, 1996 - Dec . 31, 1996. Judge Dor is L. " Dee" Down s, appoin ted March 4, 1996 Dec. 31, 1996. Judge Cons ta nce C. Russe ll, appo inted March 4, 1996 Dec . 31, 1996.
Atlantic judicial Circuit Judge Robert L. Russe ll III, appointed August 9, 1995 Dec . 31, 1996.
Augusta judicial Circuit Judge Robert L. Allgood, appointed Sept. 21, 1995 - Dec. 31, 1996 . Judge Bellieann e Childers Hart, appoi nted Sept. 21, 1995 Dec. 31, 1996.
Chattahoochee judicial Circuit Judge Douglas Pullen , app ointed Oct. 23, 1995 - Dec . 31, 1996 . Judge Robert G. Johnston III, appoi nted O ct. 23, 1995 Dec. 31,1996.
Cobb judicial Circuit Judge S. Lark Ingram, appointed Nov. 21, 1995 - Dec. 31, 1996 . Judge Kenneth O . Nix, appo inted Dec. 1,1 99 5 - Dec . 31, 1996.
Conasauga judicial Circuit Judge Jack Partai n, appointed Dec. 1, 199 5 - Dec . 31, 1996.
Coweta judicial Circuit Judge A. Qu illian Baldwin lr., appoi nted Sept. 26, 1995 Dec. 31, 1996. Judge Aubrey Duffey, ap po inted Sept. 26, 1995 - Dec. 31, 1996.
Griffin judicial Circuit Judge John nie L. Caldwell [r., appointed July 27, 1995 Dec. 31, 1996.
Macon judicial Circuit Judge S. Phillip Brown, appo inted Jan . 1, 1996 - Dec . 31, 1996.
Northern judicial Circuit Judge John H. Bailey [r., appo inted Jan . 1, 1996 - Dec . 31, 1996.
Ocmulgee judicial Circuit Judge Jam es L. Cline, appoi nted July 25, 1995 - Dec. 31, 1996 .
Oconee judicial Circuit Judge Horace Fred erick Mullis lr., appoin ted March 29, 1996 - Dec. 31, 1996.
Ogeechee judicial Circuit Judge W illiam E. Woodrum [r., appoi nted Dec. 1, 199 5 Dec . 31, 1996.

Pataula judicial Circuit Judge E. Tracy Moulton [r., appoi nted July 28, 1995 - Dec. 31, 1996 .
Piedmont judicial Circuit Judge T. David Motes, appoi nted Jan . 1, 1996 - Dec. 3 1, 1996.
Southern Jud icia l Circuit Judge Richard M. Cowart, appoi nted Sept em ber 13, 1995 Dec. 31,1996.
Western jud icial Circuit Judge Steve C. Jones, app ointed Dec. 1, 199 5 - Dec. 31, 1996.
STATE COURTS
Carroll County Judge Robert H. Sullivan, appoi nted Dec. 20, 199 5 - Dec . 31, 1996 .
Clayton County Judge Linda Sharpe Cowe n, appointed Dec. 20 , 1995 Dec . 31, 1996.
Cobb County, Division I Judge M. Russell Carlisle [r., app ointed Dec. 21, 1995 Dec . 31, 1996. Judge Irma B. Glover, appointed Dec . 21, 199 5 - Dec. 31, 1996 .
Cobb County, Division II Judge Toby B. Prodgers, appo inted Dec. 2 1, 1995 - Dec. 31, 1996 .
Early County Judge Thomas Baxley, appoi nted Nov. 6, 1995 - Dec . 31 , 199 6.
Fulton County Judge M. Gino Brogdon Sr., appo inted March 8, 1996 Dec . 31,1996 . Judge John R. Mather, app ointed March 8, 1996 - Dec. 31, 1996. Judge Patsy Y. Porter, appoi nted March 8, 1996 - Dec. 31, 1996 .
Lowndes County Judge Kelly D. Turner, appoi nted Dec. 20, 1995 - Dec . 31, 1996 .
Muscogee County Judge Maureen Gottfried , appointed Nov. 22, 1995 - Dec . 31, 1996.
JUVENILE COURTS
Cobb County Judge Adele Grubbs , appointed Jan . 2, 1996 - Jan. 2, 2000.
PROBATE COU RTS
Chatham County Judge Harry Lewis, elected April 1, 1996 - Jan . 1, 200 1.
CHIEF MAGISTRATES
Baker County Judge Virginia M. Screw s, appointed Jan. 5, 1996 - Dec. 31, 1996 .
Hart County Judge Selma Chee ly, appoin ted Jan . 1, 1996 - Dec. 31, 1996.
Webster County Judge Vivian Bankston , appo inted May 7, 1996 - Dec. 31, 199 6.

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