Happy New Year, Georgia Courts Journal Readers,
Winter Storm “Fern” brought extreme weather across the state during the last week of January—ranging from snow and ice in the northeast part of the state to tornado warnings in Southwest Georgia. The Judicial Council/AOC posted local judicial emergency orders throughout the duration of the storm via a link on the homepage of georgiacourts.gov.
Several Judicial Council entities met this month: the Standing Committee on Technology, the Ad Hoc Committee on Georgia Courts Case Management System, and the Board of Court Reporting. Please note that the former Judicial Council Ad Hoc Committee on Artificial Intelligence and the Courts has become a permanent subcommittee of the Technology Committee and is co-chaired by Judge Stephen Kelley and Judge Kevin Morris. The Judicial Council of Georgia is again sponsoring the Georgia Bar, Media, and Judiciary Conference, which is in its 35th year. All Georgia judges and their judicial staff are invited to attend that conference free of charge, and a complimentary registration code was sent to all judges by AOC staff member JoAnna Deering on January 21st.
Revised Supreme Court of Georgia Rules went into effect on January 15, 2026. The current rules, as well as a chart noting rule changes and an amendment history, are posted on the Court’s website. With the Justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia and the Judges of the Court of Appeals of Georgia in attendance, Governor Kemp delivered his final State of the State Address on January 15th, and a recording has been archived. Chief Justice Peterson spoke on principles of Georgia constitutional interpretation at a CLE for government attorneys hosted by the Georgia General Assembly on January 6th. The Chief Justice also addressed the State Bar of Georgia Board of Governors during its midyear meeting emphasizing the role of lawyers in defending the rule of law, Presiding Justice Sarah Hawkins Warren recently swore in U.S. Army Judge Advocate Generals from across the country, and Justice Ben Land spoke about the history of the Supreme Court of Georgia at the Rotary Club of Albany in mid-January.
Justice Shawn Ellen LaGrua and Superior Court Judges Shondeana Crews Morris and Carolyn “Tippi” Cain Burch spoke on a panel organized by the General Practice & Trial Law Section during the State Bar’s Midyear Meeting. Juvenile Court Judges Alison Toller and Carolyn Altman and DFCS staff members joined staff of the Supreme Court of Georgia’s Committee on Justice for Children at a meeting organized by the federal Children’s Bureau in Nashville to share progress on their joint effort to shorten time from removal to reunification for children in foster care and to outline priorities for a new strategic plan for Georgia’s Juvenile Court Improvement Program.
Justice Verda M. Colvin, Court of Appeals Presiding Judge Anne Elizabeth Barnes, Superior Court Judge Eric K. Dunaway, State Court Judge Alvin T. Wong, and Municipal Court Judge JaDawnya C. Baker spoke on their respective paths to service as jurists in the state court system at a recent event organized by the American Constitution Society’s Judicial Task Force. Former Harris County Probate Court Judge Allen Levi has become a nationally bestselling novelist with his debut novel, Theo of Golden.
Judges around the state continue to promote civics education in various capacities. Cobb County Probate Court Chief Judge Kelli L. Wolk and Judge Tara C. Riddle collaborated with Superior Court Judges Jason D. Marbutt and Sonja N. Brown to host 230 fifth graders from a local elementary school for a mock trial in Cobb County’s ongoing “Courtroom to Classroom” initiative. Fayette County State Court Judge Jason Thompson has announced sessions of “The People’s Law School,” free courses that help citizens of all ages better understand our court system and the judicial branch. Congratulations to the Georgia Municipal Court Clerks Council, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
The annual caseload reporting period is underway and runs through March 16th. All Chief Judges and District Court Administrators are encouraged to register in the case count portal. The 2026 Georgia legislative session commenced on Monday, January 12th. Crossover Day is scheduled for Friday, March 6th, and it is anticipated that the Georgia General Assembly will adjourn sine die on Thursday, April 2nd. Legislation pertinent to the Georgia Judicial Branch is tracked by the AOC Governmental Affairs team and may be found on our website alongside weekly reports.
Call on us anytime. Talk to you in February.
Your JC/AOC Courts Journal team: Noelle Lagueux-Alvarez, Bruce Shaw, and JoAnna Deering