Prosecutors urge restoration of four ADAs moved in circuit split and call for review of staffing formula

Pete Scandalakis, joined by DA Herb Cranford and new West Georgia DA Sarah Japore, told the subcommittee that the senate reallocated four assistant district attorney positions from the Coweta Judicial Circuit to the West Georgia Judicial Circuit during a prior bill that split circuits. The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council asked the legislature to return those four positions to Coweta, arguing the statute and tradition assign state-paid assistant positions to the circuit that retains the name and the existing positions.

Scandalakis and Cranford said the council has carried roughly 30 assistant DA vacancies in recent years and that vacancies are difficult to fill for reasons including pay and geographic location. Cranford said his office has had “about 600 cases per ADA” in recent months when positions are not filled and described the state-funded ADA formula (historically 1.88 ADAs per superior court judge) as outdated. He and other members urged a formula review, noting workload and complexity have increased dramatically since the formula’s origin.

Why it matters: Committee members pressed whether vacancies are a pay problem; presenters said starting state pay is roughly in the high $50,000s to about $60,000 depending on the calculation and that counties with local supplements alter the effective salary. Several members requested the council compile a proposal to review the formula and to provide statewide caseload data.

Nut graf: The request is operational—restore the four ADAs to Coweta or otherwise reconcile staffing after circuit splits—and the council proposed a broader policy review of how ADAs are funded and allocated statewide.

Ending: The subcommittee encouraged the council to return with data-driven proposals to change the funding formula and to supply reconciled vacancy and caseload data for FY26 planning.