Georgia § 15-7-2 - Creation of state courts.

§ 15-7-2. Creation of state courts.

The General Assembly may by local law create a state court in any county or counties of this state in which there is no state court, and such court shall be the "State Court of (whatever county or counties in which the court is located)." (Code 1981, § 15-7-2 , enacted by Ga. L. 1983, p. 1419, § 2.) Editor's notes. - Ga. L. 1999, p. 830, § 1, effective April 28, 1999, amends Ga. L. 1996, p. 627, § 3, and re-creates a system of state courts of limited jurisdiction and venue for each city having a population of 300,000 or more so as to give such courts jurisdiction to try offenses against certain traffic laws and ordinances. Ga. L. 2004, p. 885, § 1, not codified by the General Assembly, effective January 1, 2005, repeals Ga. L. 1996, p. 627 as amended by Ga. L. 1999, p. 830, effective April 28, 1999, which re-created a system of state courts of limited jurisdiction and venue for each city having a population of 300,000 or more so as to give such courts jurisdiction to try offenses against certain traffic laws and ordinances; thus, all courts created pursuant to such Act are abolished. Ga. L. 2004, p. 885, § 2, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that: "On the effective date of this Act, all cases and matters pending in any court abolished by Section 1 of this Act shall be transferred to the municipal court of the city in which such abolished court was located. The chief judge of such municipal court shall then transfer those cases over which the municipal court does not have jurisdiction to the appropriate court. All records, books, minutes, files, and documents relating to such cases or prior cases of the city court shall be likewise transferred. This Act shall be applicable only with an executed intergovernmental agreement between all affected jurisdictions." This Act became effective January 1, 2005. Ga. L. 2004, p. 885, § 3, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that: "On the effective date of this Act, each judge of a court abolished by Section 1 of this Act shall become a judge in the municipal court of the city in which such abolished court was located and shall be subject to retention until the expiration of the judge's current term of office. On the effective date of this Act, each judge pro hac vice or senior judge of a court abolished by Section 1 of this Act shall become a judge pro hac vice in the municipal court of the city in which such abolished court was located and shall retain such position until at least December 31, 2010." This Act became effective January 1, 2005.