Sen. Mitch Seabaugh, R-Sharpsburg, is proposing cutting 19 Superior Court judges – a move he said could save the state up to $14 million.
Seabaugh says S.B. 485 would reduce the number of Superior Court judges from 205 to 186. There are 16 in Northwest Georgia – four in the Conasauga Circuit (Dalton), four in the Rome Circuit and four in the Lookout Mountain Circuit (one each in Summerville, Ringgold, Trenton and LaFayette).
Lawmakers have been hard-pressed to find further ways to cut costs to address Georgia’s $1.1 billion budget shortfall. Seabaugh says the superior court system has not been carrying its weight during the state’s budget crisis and has made far fewer cuts than many other departments.
“I’m asking for input from the courts to ensure that the right judgeships are eliminated,” Seabaugh said, adding that the proposal was not personal. “I do not want major interruptions in the court system.”
Seabaugh, the lone sponsor of the bill, acknowledged that he faces an uphill battle, but he said the cuts are a viable solution given the volume of cases now handled by some jurisdictions.