Court Type: State Court

State Courts, which do not exist in every Georgia county, are authorized to handle civil cases in which money damages are sought, without any limit on the amount of damages, and misdemeanor criminal cases. In a county where there is a State Court, that court will likely handle misdemeanor criminal cases such as DUI, simple battery, or traffic ticket cases and the Superior Court will handle felony criminal cases. In counties where there is no State Court, these cases will be handled by the Superior Court since it also has jurisdiction over such cases.

State courts follow the Uniform State Court Rules, basically the same rules as Superior courts minus rules that apply to Domestic cases, which cannot be filed in a State Court.

State Court Judges are elected. They may be appointed by the Governor to fill and “unexpired term” of a retiring Judge, and then run for election at the end of that term. They must be licensed attorneys, and all qualifications to become a State Court Judge can be read here. There is no legal requirement that a State Court Judge have competency in trials or legal matters handled in State Court.

State Courts can conduct Jury Trials. Appeals from a State Court go to the Georgia Court of Appeals or Supreme Court.