SB 10: Superior Courts of the Alapaha Judicial Circuit; additional judge; provide - Georgia

LC 48 1605S/hss → LC 48 1626S/hrcs · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was significantly rewritten to shift focus from protecting judges' personal information to creating a new system for appointing additional judicial officers in larger judicial circuits. The original version focused on privacy protections for judges and their spouses, while the new version establishes funding mechanisms and appointment procedures for up to five additional judicial officers in circuits with 15 or more judges.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from privacy protection for judicial personnel to establishing a new judicial officer appointment system for larger judicial circuits

SCOPE

Removed all provisions related to protecting personally identifiable information of judges and their spouses, including definitions of protected persons and privacy requirements for government entities

ELIGIBILITY

Added eligibility criteria for judicial officer positions, requiring appointment in circuits with 15 or more judges and limiting positions to five per circuit

FISCAL

Added funding provisions allowing county governing authorities to provide funding for up to five judicial officers per circuit

REQUIREMENT

Added requirements for judicial officers to meet superior court judge qualifications while not being elected, serving two-year terms, and excluding them from serious violent felony cases

DEFINITION

Removed all definitions related to privacy protection, including definitions of personally identifiable information, protected persons, and publicly available content

As Passed Senate → LC 48 1605S/hss · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten from a proposal to add a new superior court judge in the Alapaha Judicial Circuit to a substitute version that focuses on protecting the personal information of judges and their spouses. This represents a fundamental shift in legislative intent from expanding judicial capacity to enhancing judicial privacy protections.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from adding a specific judge position in one judicial circuit to establishing statewide protections for judges and their spouses across all Georgia courts.

SCOPE

Removed provisions to create and appoint an additional superior court judge in the Alapaha Judicial Circuit, including appointment terms, election procedures, and compensation arrangements.

DEFINITION

Added new definitions for 'personally identifiable information', 'protected person', 'public posting or display', 'publicly available content', and 'state or local government entity' related to judicial privacy.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirements for the Administrative Office of the Courts to establish forms and databases for protecting judges' personal information and to coordinate statewide training on security procedures.

ENFORCEMENT

Added requirements for state and local government entities to restrict from public disclosure any personally identifiable information that identifies judges, justices, or their spouses.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed provisions requiring judicial candidates to designate specific seats when running for election in the Alapaha Judicial Circuit.

TIMELINE

Removed specific implementation dates for the additional judge position, including a January 1, 2026 start date and December 31, 2028 expiration date.

As introduced LC 44 2865 → As Passed Senate · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to extend the appointment term for the additional superior court judge in the Alapaha Judicial Circuit from a two-year term ending in 2026 to a four-year term ending in 2028. This change delays the first judicial election for the successor position from 2026 to 2028 and adjusts the start date of the new judge's term from July 1, 2025 to January 1, 2026.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains focused on creating an additional judge position in the Alapaha Judicial Circuit, but the timeline for appointments and elections has been extended.

TIMELINE

The appointment term for the additional judge was extended from July 1, 2025 to December 31, 2026 to January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2028.

The successor judicial election was moved from 2026 to 2028, with the new judge taking office on January 1, 2029 instead of January 1, 2027.

TECHNICAL

Bill number and legislative reference codes were updated from LC 44 2865 to LC 62 0100S (SCS) to reflect Senate passage.

Superior Courts of the Alapaha Judicial Circuit; additional judge; provide

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