Georgia Legal Overview The Supreme Court of Georgia has seven justices elected by the people. It sits at the top of the Georgia court system, followed by the Court of Appeals with 12 judges across four divisions. The trial court with general jurisdiction is the Superior Court, with 205 judges across 49 circuits. There is a State Court with limited geographical jurisdiction over county misdemeanors, traffic infractions and civil cases, regardless of the amount involved. The State Court can also hear applications for search or arrest warrants, and hold preliminary hearings for felony cases. Georgia also has separate municipal, probate, and juvenile courts.
Top metro Georgia areas for Legal Issues: Athens
1. Georgia courts have a special place in the evolution of capital punishment laws. The landmark Furman v. Georgia (1972) judgment by the U.S. Supreme Court resulted in a halt in capital punishment until 1976, when the Gregg v. Georgia ruling allowed state courts to continue handing out death penalties. Subsequently, the U.S. Supreme Court forbade the death penalty for rape in their landmark Coker v. Georgia (1977) judgment. The result of these three cases that made their way through the Delaware courts was that capital punishment was set aside as a state issue, but limited to cases involving intentional murder. 2. The parents of Joetavious Stafford, 19, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday in Georgia claiming that the officer, Robert Waldo, was careless when he responded to a fight that resulted in their child's death. 3. Lawyers for a man facing execution in Georgia will fight Georgia's pardons board that executing the two-time killer would be unjust because of his restricted mental capacity.
Trending Georgia Legal Topics: The State Bar of Georgia (SBG) was established in 1964 and membership is compulsory. SBG has over 34,600 active members and over 8,100 inactive members. Georgia requires lawyers to enter the court system through the Superior Court in a county where they wish to practice. Admission to the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court has to be applied for separately. Misconduct by judges comes under the jurisdiction of the Judicial Qualifications Commission. |