Georgia local trial court judicial elections, 2016
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Every county in Georgia held elections for probate court and superior court judges in 2016, and some also voted on races for magistrate court and state court judges.
Georgia judicial elections utilize a mix of partisan and nonpartisan races. State court and superior court judges are elected without party affiliations; probate court and magistrate court races can be held with or without partisan affiliation.
On May 24, 2016, partisan primary elections and nonpartisan general elections were held for these offices. If no candidate received a majority of votes cast (50 percent plus one) in a partisan primary, the top two vote recipients advanced to a primary runoff on June 26, 2016. In nonpartisan races where no majority was reached, the top two candidates advanced to a runoff general election on the same date.
Partisan primary and primary runoff winners appeared on the general election ballot on November 8, 2016.
For information on 2016 state appellate court and supreme court elections in Georgia, click here.
Election analysis[edit]
Election analysis[edit]
While 488 seats on Georgia's probate, magistrate, state, and superior courts were up for election in 2016, most races were unopposed. The graphics below illustrate the number of races and candidates by court type, as well as the number of possible runoff elections (both primary and general runoffs) and the number of runoffs actually held.
View races by jurisdiction[edit]
Select a county from the list on the left below to display the elections being held there for probate, superior, magistrate, and state court judges. Not all counties held elections for all four court types.
Election rules[edit]
Most court elections in Georgia are nonpartisan, though counties may choose to hold partisan elections for probate court positions. In judicial races, only partisan positions require primary elections.
On May 24, 2016, partisan primary elections and nonpartisan general elections were held for these offices. If no candidate received a majority of votes cast (50 percent plus one) in a partisan primary, the top two vote recipients advanced to a primary runoff on June 26, 2016. In nonpartisan races where no majority was reached, the top two candidates advanced to a runoff general election on the same date.
Partisan primary and primary runoff winners appeared on the general election ballot on November 8, 2016.
The sections below describe specific requirements for each type of judge.
Probate court judges[edit]
- See also: Partisan elections
Judges of the Georgia Probate Courts are each elected to four-year terms.[1] The elections for this court type are contested and may be partisan or nonpartisan. To serve on this court, a judge must be a United States citizen, county resident for at least two years, at least 25 years old, a registered voter, have a high school diploma or equivalent and completion of an initial training course. In counties with populations above 96,000, judges are required to have at least seven years of experience practicing law and be 30 years of age.[2]
Magistrate court judges[edit]
- 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]
State court judges[edit]
- See also: Nonpartisan election
Judges of the Georgia State Courts are elected to four-year terms.[5] The elections for this court are nonpartisan, contested elections. To serve on this court, a judge must be a state resident for at least three years, a county resident, admitted to practice law for at least seven years, and at least 25 years of age.[6]
Superior court judges[edit]
There are 202 judges on the Georgia Superior Courts, each chosen by the people in nonpartisan elections to serve a four-year term.
The process for selecting a chief judge and that chief judge's term varies by circuit.[7]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:
- a state resident for three years;
- a resident of the circuit he or she is representing;
- admitted to practice law for at least seven years; and
- at least 30 years old.
Recent news[edit]
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Georgia 'probate court' OR 'magistrate court' OR 'state court' OR 'superior court'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ New Georgia Encyclopedia, "Judicial Branch: Overview," June 5, 2014
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Georgia; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ New Georgia Encyclopedia, "Judicial Branch: Overview," June 5, 2014
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Georgia; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ New Georgia Encyclopedia, "Judicial Branch: Overview," June 5, 2014
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Georgia; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Georgia; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 2, 2014
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 Juvenile Courts • Georgia Probate Courts • Georgia Magistrate Courts • Georgia Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Georgia • Georgia judicial elections • Judicial selection in Georgia
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