The Magistrate's Office
Chief Magistrate
Magistrate Courts are sometimes referred to as the “Emergency Room” of the Courts of Georgia. Magistrate clerks are like nurses, that can assist in filings without giving legal advice. These courts see a little of everything. Most criminal cases begin and are heard in the Magistrate courts.
Civil filings with a monetary amount of up to $15,000 come before this court which may result with a simpler and sometimes quicker resolution of cases. It is not mandatory to have an attorney when cases are filed in magistrate courts. Pro Se litigants (self-representation) may present or defend their case whether it be civil or criminal.
Under the 1983 Constitution, justice of the peace courts and small claims courts became Magistrate Courts. Magistrate Court jurisdiction includes civil claims of $15,000 or less, dispossessory writs, county ordinance violations, misdemeanor deposit account fraud (bad checks), preliminary hearings, issuance of summons, arrest warrants, and search warrants.
To qualify as a magistrate, an individual must have resided in the county for at least one year preceding his or her term of office, be 25 years of age, and have a high school diploma. Other qualifications may be imposed by local legislation. There are 159 chief magistrates and 346 magistrates in Georgia.
Magistrates may grant bail in some criminal cases in which the setting of bail is not exclusively reserved to a judge of another court. If a defendant submits a written request for a jury trial, cases may be removed to Superior Court.
LEARN MORECONTACT INFORMATION
Jason Blackmon
Chief Magistrate
4485 Georgia Highway 120
P.O. Box 1040
Buchanan, GA 30113
Phone: 770-646-2015
Fax: 770-646-2013