1. State Judicial System

2. Courts of the State Court System
Municipal Court. Magistrate Court Probate Court State Court Superior Court Courts of Appeals State Supreme Courts

3. Municipal Court Jurisdiction includes: Municipal ordinance violations
Issue criminal warrants
Conduct preliminary hearings
May have concurrent jurisdiction over
shoplifting cases
Cases involving possession of one ounce or
less of marijuana

4. Magistrate Court Jurisdiction includes:
Civil claims of $15,000 or less
Certain minor criminal offenses
Distress warrants and dispossessory writs
County ordinance violations
Summons
Arrest and Search warrants.
Magistrates may grant bail in cases where the setting of bail is not exclusively reserved to a judge of another court.
No jury trials are held in magistrate court.

5. Probate Court Has exclusive, original jurisdiction:
The probate of wills
Administration of estates
Appointment of guardians
Involuntary hospitalization of incapacitated adults and other individuals.
Georgia Probate Courts maintain:
Vital records including:
Birth certificates
Marriage licenses
Death certificates
Issues gun permits.

6. Probate Court All probate court judges Administer oaths of office
Issue marriage licenses
They may hold habeas corpus hearings or preside over criminal preliminary hearings.
Unless a jury trial is requested
Probate court judges may also hear
Certain misdemeanors
Traffic cases
Violations of state game and fish laws
In counties where there is no state court

7. State Court Established by a 1970 legislative act
Designated certain existing countywide courts of limited jurisdiction as state courts.
State courts may exercise jurisdiction over:
All misdemeanor violations
Including traffic cases
All civil actions
Regardless of the amount claimed
Unless the superior court has exclusive jurisdiction.

8. State Court State courts are authorized
Hold hearings on applications for an issuance of search and arrest warrants
Hold preliminary hearings.
The Georgia Constitution grants state courts authority to review lower court decisions as provided by statute.
Traffic Court

9. Superior Court Georgia’s general jurisdiction trial court.
It has exclusive, constitutional authority over:
Felony cases
Divorce
Equity
Cases regarding title to land

10. Superior Court
The exclusive jurisdiction of this court also covers such matters as:
Declaratory judgments
Habeas corpus
Mandamus
Quo warranto
Prohibition

11. Superior Court The superior court corrects errors made by lower courts
By issuing writs of certiorari
For some lower courts
The right to direct review by the superior court applies.
Superior courts are organized into:
10 Judicial Districts
Comprised of 49 judicial circuits.

12. Superior Court Each county has its own superior court
A judge may serve more than one county.
A chief judge handles the administrative tasks for each circuit.
Highest court with general jurisdiction
Trial court

13. Court of Appeals The court of first review for
Many civil and criminal cases decided in the trial courts.
The purpose of such a review is:
To correct legal errors or errors of law made at the trial level
Not to alter jury verdicts or the outcome of bench trials.
The Court of Appeals has twelve judges
Assigned to one of four panels made up of three judges each

14. Court of Appeals Once a case is assigned to a panel Judges review
The trial transcript
Relevant portions of the record
Briefs submitted by the attorneys for the parties.
Panels also hear oral arguments in a small number of cases.
Panel decisions are final unless one judge dissents.
If necessary, a case may be reviewed by the full court
Hear appeals of civil and criminal cases
Reviews the case for errors of law
Ensure legal procedures were followed
Cannot refuse to hear a legally appealed case

15. State Supreme Court State's highest court
Reviews decisions made by other courts in civil and criminal cases.
This court alone rules on questions involving
Constitutionality of state statutes
All criminal cases involving a sentence of death,
Petitions from decisions of the Court of Appeals.

16. State Supreme Court No trials are held at the appellate level
Oral arguments are heard by the entire court.
Each case accepted for review by the Supreme Court
Assigned to one of the seven justices
Preparation of a preliminary opinion (decision) for circulation to all other justices.

17. State Supreme Court The justices review
Trial transcripts
Case records
Accompanying legal briefs prepared by attorneys.
An opinion is adopted or rejected by the Court after thorough discussion by all the justices in conference.
Has the final word on matters involving state law
Hear appeals from
Trial courts
Intermediate court of appeal