Superior Court

Welcome to the Superior Court of the Columbia Judicial Circuit. The Columbia Judicial Circuit is the newest circuit in Georgia. The Circuit was created by the Legislature, effective July 1, 2021. The Circuit is presided over by three judges, elected by voters, and each judge serves a four-year term.

Each of the three judges of our new Circuit formerly served as a Superior Court Judge in the Augusta Judicial Circuit. When the Legislature created the Columbia Judicial Circuit, they specifically named these three judges as the initial judges of the Circuit.

The Superior Court was created by Georgia's original Constitution. As Georgia's only constitutionally-created trial court, Superior Court has jurisdiction over both criminal and civil cases. In the Columbia Judicial Circuit, Superior Court presides over both misdemeanor and felony offenses in the context of criminal proceedings, including death penalty cases. As part of its civil jurisdiction, Superior Court handles contract disputes, premises liability, torts, and other civil actions. In addition, Superior Court has exclusive equity jurisdiction over all cases of divorce, and title to land.

The Columbia County Courthouse is in Appling, Georgia, our county seat. We still hold court there several times each year. The majority of court hearings are conducted in the Columbia County Justice Center which is located in Evans, Georgia. The main offices of the Superior Court, Clerk of Court, Probate Court, and Magistrate Court are located in the Justice Center. The Clerk of Court and Probate Court also have satellite offices in Appling.

We are happy to have you visit our site. If there is information that you want to have appear on this site, please let us know. We are always excited to learn ways in which we can better serve our community.