Liberty County Magistrate Court, Georgia

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The Liberty County Magistrate Court resides in Georgia. Click on the links below to learn more about the court's...

  • Jurisdiction
  • Selection method

Jurisdiction[edit]

This court holds the following jurisdiction:[1]

Each magistrate court and each magistrate thereof shall have jurisdiction and power over the following matters:
  1. The hearing of applications for and the issuance of arrest and search warrants;
  2. Issuance of warrants and related proceedings as provided in Article 4 of Chapter 6 of Title 17, relating to bonds for good behavior and bonds to keep the peace;
  3. The holding of courts of inquiry;
  4. The trial of charges of violations of county ordinances and penal ordinances of state authorities;
  5. The trial of civil claims including garnishment and attachment in which exclusive jurisdiction is not vested in the superior court and the amount demanded or the value of the property claimed does not exceed $15,000.00, provided that no prejudgment attachment may be granted;
  6. The issuance of summons, trial of issues, and issuance of writs and judgments in dispossessory proceedings and distress warrant proceedings as provided in Articles 3 and 4 of Chapter 7 of Title 44;
  7. The punishment of contempts by fine not exceeding $200.00 or by imprisonment not exceeding ten days or both;
  8. The administration of any oath which is not required by law to be administered by some other officer;
  9. The granting of bail in all cases where the granting of bail is not exclusively committed to some other court or officer;
  10. The issuing of subpoenas to compel attendance of witnesses in the magistrate court and subpoenas for the production of documentary evidence before the magistrate court;
  11. Such other matters as are committed to their jurisdiction by other general laws;
  12. The trial and sentencing of misdemeanor violations of Code Section 16-9-20, relating to criminal issuance of bad checks, as provided by Article 10 of this chapter;
  13. The execution or subscribing and the acceptance of written waivers of extradition in the same manner provided for in Code Section 17-13-46;
  14. The trial and sentencing of misdemeanor violations of other Code sections as provided by Article 13 of this chapter;
  15. The foreclosure of liens on animals as established in Title 4;
  16. The foreclosure of liens on abandoned mobile homes as established in Article 6 of Chapter 7 of Title 44; and
  17. The foreclosure of liens on abandoned motor vehicles as established in Article 1A of Chapter 11 of Title 40, "The Abandoned Motor Vehicle Act."[2]

Selection method[edit]

See also: Judicial selection in the states
See also: Partisan elections

Judges of the Georgia Magistrate Courts are either elected or appointed to terms of varying lengths.[3] The elections for this court type are contested and may be partisan or nonpartisan. To serve on this court, a judge must be a county resident for at least one year, be 25 years of age, and have a high school diploma or equivalent.[4]

Judicial elections in Georgia[edit]

See also: Georgia judicial elections

Georgia is one of 12 states that uses nonpartisan elections to select judges and does not use retention elections for subsequent terms. To read more about how states use judicial elections to select judges across the country, click here.

Primary election[edit]

Most court elections in Georgia are nonpartisan. Counties may choose to hold partisan elections for probate court positions. There are only judicial primaries for partisan elections.[5][6]

Runoff election[edit]

If no candidate receives a majority of the votes in the election (at least 50%+1 of the vote), a runoff election will be held between the two candidates with the most votes.[7]

See also[edit]

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External links[edit]

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Footnotes[edit]

  1. 2020 Georgia Code, "Title 15 - Courts Chapter 10 - Magistrate Courts Article 1 - General Provisions § 15-10-2. General Jurisdiction," accessed May 11, 2023
  2. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  3. New Georgia Encyclopedia, "Judicial Branch: Overview," June 5, 2014
  4. American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Georgia; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 2, 2014
  5. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named code
  6. Georgia Secretary of State, "Election Law In Georgia: What City And County Attorneys Need To Know" September 2008 Scroll to p. 4
  7. O.C.G.A. § 21-2-285.1 Nonpartisan elections -- Form of ballot; runoff election; declaration of prevailing candidate as duly elected

Georgia courts

Federal courts:

Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Middle District of Georgia, Northern District of Georgia, Southern District of Georgia • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Middle District of Georgia, Northern District of Georgia, Southern District of Georgia

State courts:

Georgia Supreme Court • Georgia Court of Appeals • Georgia Superior Courts • Georgia State Courts • Georgia Business Court • Georgia Tax Court • Georgia Juvenile Courts • Georgia Probate Courts • Georgia Magistrate Courts • Georgia Municipal Courts

State resources:

Courts in Georgia • Georgia judicial elections • Judicial selection in Georgia



Categories: [Local courts outside coverage scope] [Georgia]


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