GA Code § 15-6-1 (2021)
2021 Georgia Code|Title 15 - Courts|Chapter 6 - Superior Courts|Article 1 - General Provisions|§ 15-6-1. Composition of Judicial Circuits

 The entire state is divided into judicial circuits, in reference to the jurisdiction and sessions of the superior courts, as follows:    Alapaha Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Atkinson, Berrien, Clinch, Cook, and Lanier;   Alcovy Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Newton and Walton;  (2.1) Appalachian Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Fannin, Gilmer, and Pickens;    Atlanta Judicial Circuit, composed of the County of Fulton;   Atlantic Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Bryan, Liberty, McIntosh, Tattnall, Evans, and Long;   Augusta Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Burke and Richmond;  (5.1) Bell-Forsyth Judicial Circuit, composed of the County of Forsyth;    Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit, composed of the County of Cherokee;   Brunswick Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Appling, Camden, Glynn, Wayne, and Jeff Davis;   Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Chattahoochee, Harris, Marion, Muscogee, Talbot, and Taylor;   Cherokee Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Bartow and Gordon;   Clayton Judicial Circuit, composed of the County of Clayton;   Cobb Judicial Circuit, composed of the County of Cobb;  (11.1) Columbia Judicial Circuit, composed of the County of Columbia;    Conasauga Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Murray and Whitfield;   Cordele Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Dooly, Wilcox, Crisp, and Ben Hill;   Coweta Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Carroll, Coweta, Heard, Meriwether, and Troup;   Dougherty Judicial Circuit, composed of the County of Dougherty;  (15.1) Douglas Judicial Circuit, composed of the County of Douglas;    Dublin Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Laurens, Johnson, Twiggs, and Treutlen;   Eastern Judicial Circuit, composed of the County of Chatham;  (17.1) Enotah Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Towns, Union, Lumpkin, and White;    Flint Judicial Circuit, composed of the County of Henry;   Griffin Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Spalding, Pike, Upson, and Fayette;   Gwinnett Judicial Circuit, composed of the County of Gwinnett;   Houston Judicial Circuit, composed of the County of Houston;   Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Catoosa, Dade, Chattooga, and Walker;   Macon Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Bibb, Crawford, and Peach;   Middle Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Emanuel, Jefferson, Washington, Toombs, and Candler;   Mountain Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Habersham, Rabun, and Stephens;   Northeastern Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Hall and Dawson;   Northern Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Elbert, Hart, Madison, Oglethorpe, and Franklin;   Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Baldwin, Greene, Jasper, Jones, Morgan, Putnam, Wilkinson, and Hancock;   Oconee Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Dodge, Montgomery, Pulaski, Telfair, Bleckley, and Wheeler;   Ogeechee Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Bulloch, Effingham, Jenkins, and Screven;   Pataula Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Clay, Early, Miller, Quitman, Randolph, Terrell, and Seminole;  (31.1) Paulding Judicial Circuit, composed of the County of Paulding;    Piedmont Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Barrow, Jackson, and Banks;  (32.1) Rockdale Judicial Circuit, composed of the County of Rockdale;    Rome Judicial Circuit, composed of the County of Floyd;   South Georgia Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Baker, Calhoun, Decatur, Grady, and Mitchell;   Southern Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Brooks, Colquitt, Echols, Lowndes, and Thomas;   Southwestern Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Lee, Macon, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, and Webster;   Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit, composed of the County of DeKalb. The judges of the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit, when the business of the circuit does not require their attention, may aid in the disposition of the business of the Atlanta Judicial Circuit;   Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Haralson and Polk;   Tifton Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Tift, Irwin, Worth, and Turner;   Toombs Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Glascock, Lincoln, McDuffie, Taliaferro, Warren, and Wilkes;  (40.1) Towaliga Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Butts, Monroe, and Lamar;    Waycross Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Pierce, Coffee, Charlton, Ware, Bacon, and Brantley; and   Western Judicial Circuit, composed of the Counties of Clarke and Oconee.    (Orig. Code 1863, § 46; Code 1868, § 44; Ga. L. 1869, p. 20, §§ 1, 3; Ga. L. 1870, p. 37, § 1; Ga. L. 1870, p. 38, § 1; Ga. L. 1871-72, p. 32, § 1; Code 1873, § 42; Ga. L. 1874, p. 43, § 1; Ga. L. 1880-81, p. 112, § 1; Code 1882, § 42; Ga. L. 1884-85, p. 108, §§ 1, 4; Ga. L. 1887, p. 48, §§ 1, 2; Ga. L. 1890-91, p. 95, § 1; Civil Code 1895, § 4339; Ga. L. 1897, p. 44, § 2; Ga. L. 1899, p. 49, § 1; Ga. L. 1905, p. 52, § 2; Ga. L. 1905, p. 55, § 2; Ga. L. 1905, p. 58, § 2; Ga. L. 1905, p. 60, § 2; Ga. L. 1905, p. 62, § 1; Ga. L. 1905, p. 63, § 2; Ga. L. 1906, p. 28, § 1; Ga. L. 1906, p. 50, § 1; Ga. L. 1907, p. 67, § 1; Ga. L. 1907, p. 70, § 1; Ga. L. 1909, p. 94, § 1; Ga. L. 1909, p. 102, § 1; Ga. L. 1909, p. 107, § 1; Ga. L. 1910, p. 63, § 1; Civil Code 1910, § 4870; Ga. L. 1911, p. 81, § 1; Ga. L. 1911, p. 87, § 1; Ga. L. 1912, p. 38, § 1; Ga. L. 1912, p. 41, § 1; Ga. L. 1912, p. 101, § 1; Ga. L. 1913, p. 64, § 1; Ga. L. 1914, p. 23, § 2; Ga. L. 1914, p. 27, § 1; Ga. L. 1914, p. 29, § 1; Ga. L. 1914, p. 33, § 1; Ga. L. 1916, p. 62, § 1; Ga. L. 1917, p. 44, § 1; Ga. L. 1917, p. 69, § 1; Ga. L. 1919, p. 68, § 1; Ga. L. 1919, p. 109, § 1; Ga. L. 1919, p. 110, § 1; Ga. L. 1920, p. 19, § 1; Ga. L. 1920, p. 34, § 1; Ga. L. 1920, p. 38, § 1; Ga. L. 1920, p. 48, § 1; Ga. L. 1920, p. 52, § 1; Ga. L. 1923, p. 68, § 1; Ga. L. 1923, p. 76, § 1; Ga. L. 1924, p. 39, § 1; Code 1933, § 24-2501; Ga. L. 1949, p. 266, § 7; Ga. L. 1950, p. 23, § 7; Ga. L. 1951, p. 184, § 6; Ga. L. 1952, p. 84, § 1; Ga. L. 1956, p. 95, § 5; Ga. L. 1958, p. 125, § 4; Ga. L. 1960, p. 110, § 6; Ga. L. 1963, p. 182, § 12; Ga. L. 1964, Ex. Sess., p. 7, § 7; Ga. L. 1964, Ex. Sess., p. 220, § 1; Ga. L. 1969, p. 427, § 7; Ga. L. 1972, p. 152, § 7; Ga. L. 1980, p. 563, §§ 1, 7; Ga. L. 1982, p. 439, §§ 1, 3; Ga. L. 1983, p. 761, § 2; Ga. L. 1984, p. 22, § 15; Ga. L. 1992, p. 1786, § 2; Ga. L. 1998, p. 220, § 1; Ga. L. 1999, p. 67, §§ 11, 12; Ga. L. 2002, p. 405, § 3-1; Ga. L. 2021, p. 5, § 4-1/SB 9.)    The 2021 amendment,  effective July 1, 2021, deleted ", Columbia," following "Burke" in paragraph (5); and added paragraph (11.1).   Cross references.   - Authority of General Assembly as to composition of judicial circuits, Ga. Const. 1983, Art. VI, Sec. I, Para. VII.   Code Commission notes.   - Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 1998, paragraph (18.1) was redesignated as paragraph (5.1).   Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 2008, "and" was added at the end of paragraph (41).   Editor's notes.   - Ga. L. 1983, p. 761, § 1, not codified by the General Assembly, provided for creation of a new judicial circuit of the superior courts of this state, to be known as the Appalachian Judicial Circuit, which circuit shall be composed of the Counties of Fannin, Gilmer, and Pickens, and further provided for the offices of the judge of the superior court and district attorney of the Appalachian Judicial Circuit.   Ga. L. 1992, p. 1786, § 1, not codified by the General Assembly, provided for creation of the Enotah Judicial Circuit, for the offices of the judge and district attorney, and for the transfer of pending litigation from the superior courts of Towns, Lumpkin, and White counties.   Ga. L. 1992, p. 1786, § 5, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: "For the purposes of the appointment of the judges and district attorney of the Enotah Judicial Circuit to take office on July 1, 1992, this Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law without his approval. For all other purposes, this Act shall be effective on July 1, 1992." The effective date of this Act was April 6, 1992.   Ga. L. 1998, p. 220, § 9, not codified by the General Assembly, creates the Bell-Forsyth Judicial Circuit and provides for transfer of certain matters to the superior court of that circuit from the superior court of Forsyth County which were pending at such time as it was part of the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit.   Ga. L. 1998, p. 220, § 10, subsections (b) and (c), not codified by the General Assembly, provide that: "(b) If there is no judge of the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit in office on July 1, 1998, who is a resident of Forsyth County, this Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval for the purposes of the appointment of the initial judge of the Bell-Forsyth Judicial Circuit pursuant to subsection (d) of Section 8 of this Act, except that the provision of Section 1 of this Act which decreases the number of judges in the Blue Ridge Circuit shall become effective December 31, 2000, upon the expiration of the terms of office of the judges of the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit.   "(c) Except as provided in subsections (a) and (b) of this section and notwithstanding the provisions of Code Section 1-3-4.1, this Act shall become effective July 1, 1998." The references to Section 1 and Section 8 of this Act in Ga. L. 1998, p. 220, § 10, should probably be to Section 2 and Section 9, respectively, of that Act.   Ga. L. 1999, p. 67, §§ 1-10, not codified by the General Assembly, provided for creation of the Towaliga Judicial Circuit, for the offices of the judge and district attorney, for the transfer of pending litigation from the superior courts of Butts, Monroe, and Lamar counties, and other similar matters.   Ga. L. 2002, p. 405, §§ 1-1 through 2-4, not codified by the General Assembly, provided for the creation of the Paulding Judicial Circuit, for the offices of the judge and district attorney, for the transfer of pending litigation from the Superior Court of Paulding County at the time it was a part of the Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit, and other similar matters.   Ga. L. 2021, p. 5, §§ 1-1 through 3-4/SB 9, not codified by the General Assembly, provided for creation of the Columbia Judicial Circuit, which circuit shall be composed of Columbia County, provided for the transfer of pending litigation from the Superior Court of Columbia County at such time as it was a part of the Augusta Judicial Circuit, and provided for terms, election of successors, powers, duties, dignities, jurisdiction, privileges, immunities, and other similar matters.   JUDICIAL DECISIONS   Code section is an alphabetical list of circuits.    - This section simply listed in alphabetical order the various judicial circuits and gave the counties composing the different circuits. Norris v. McDaniel, 207 Ga. 232, 60 S.E.2d 329 (1950).   Banishment as condition of probation must be to at least one entire judicial circuit.    - Although the legislature has expressly provided that banishment is a valid term and condition of probation, the trial court cannot banish a probationer to any area within the state that does not consist of at least one entire judicial circuit. Because Toombs County was part of the five-county Middle Judicial Circuit, which also included Emanuel, Jefferson, Washington, and Candler Counties, the trial court was not statutorily authorized to banish the defendant from the entire state, except for Toombs County. Regent v. State, 333 Ga. App. 350, 774 S.E.2d 213 (2015), vacated on other grounds, 339 Ga. App. 885, 795 S.E.2d 190 (Ga. Ct. App. 2016).    Cited in Sellers v. City of Summerville, 81 Ga. App. 406, 58 S.E.2d 855 (1950); Barfield v. Aiken, 209 Ga. 483, 74 S.E.2d 100 (1953); Barksdale v. Ricketts, 233 Ga. 60, 209 S.E.2d 631 (1974); Whiddon v. State, 160 Ga. App. 777, 287 S.E.2d 114 (1982); State v. Thompson, 284 Ga. App. 744, 644 S.E.2d 889 (2007); Terry v. Hamrick, 284 Ga. 24, 663 S.E.2d 256 (2008); Spence v. State, 295 Ga. App. 583, 672 S.E.2d 538 (2009); Cosby v. Lewis, 308 Ga. App. 668, 708 S.E.2d 585 (2011); Luangkhot v. State, 292 Ga. 423, 736 S.E.2d 397 (2013).