Gov. Nathan Deal won approval last year to add three more judges to the Court of Appeals, and this year he's pushing to expand the Georgia Supreme Court by two more justices. But that could just be the start of the changes to the upper echelons of the state's judicial system.
A panel he convened in October to study the appellate system released findings Monday that urge lawmakers to devote new resources for the judiciary and shift more cases away from the Georgia Supreme Court to free up the justices to higher-profile debates.
The recommendations include a proposal that would give the Court of Appeals jurisdiction over cases involving land titles, legal battles over wills, most equity cases and all divorce and alimony cases. And it urges lawmakers to restore two staff attorney positions to the Court of Appeals cut during the recession to deal with the caseload. Each would likely require some sort of legislative approval.
The panels findings don't mention the Supreme Court expansion that Deal outlined late last year, but the recommendations urge lawmakers to ensure that the court’s workload is not so great that it prevents justices from weighing cases of “gravity and public importance.”
It comes as the governor and the judiciary are working to build a new judicial complex down the block from the Capitol, which would be the most expensive state-funded building in state history.
Deal, meanwhile, has made clear he remains committed to the expansion proposal by including about $1 million in his proposed budget for the two additional justices and their staffs.
Don't be surprised if you hear a bit more about these changes in Wednesday's State of the Judiciary address.
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