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Bill to align probate judge candidate affidavits with code clears committee discussion
Summary
An author presented HB 18 to close a code loophole so candidates for probate judge in certain counties meet statutory qualifications; members confirmed the bill does not remove existing grandfathered judges.
The author told the committee House Bill 18 would close a discrepancy between candidate affidavits and existing code so that candidates meet the statutory qualifications to run for judge of the probate court in Article 6 counties.
“The most recent example of this was occurring in Rockdale County in 02/2024,” the author said, describing the issue as recurring and noting the change affects Article 6 courts statewide. Committee members asked whether the bill creates a new requirement for a law degree in counties of 90,000 population or more; the author and other members confirmed current law requires membership in the bar for those larger counties and that the bill is procedural, not intended to vacate grandfathered judges.
A member asked whether judges not currently members of the bar who are grandfathered would be affected; the author said the bill does not change grandfathered status. The transcript does not show a committee vote in the provided excerpt.
