Chatham County Superior Court, Georgia Filing Rules

The motion must include all of the client's pending case numbers, even if some are not indicted; the information may be supplemented later if necessary.

A case may be removed from a show-cause docket by submitting a Hearing Request Form according to its instructions.

After a jury trial request, the party is expected to complete and consolidate the pretrial order required by the Uniform Superior Court Rules.

For serious violent felony charges, the Defendant must personally sign the waiver of arraignment.

The Defendant may waive formal arraignment with a written waiver that elects a case track and is signed by counsel, except that the Defendant must personally sign in serious violent felony cases.

For assistance or information about a pending criminal case, contact the Criminal Case Manager at 912-652-3064.

Attorneys must notify the judge when a case is dismissed.

Requests to other Judges’ offices to hear a bond petition for the assigned Judge should come only from the office of the assigned Judge or from the Court Administrator’s Office.

The attorney or party must email the assigned Judge, including staff, about a motion or response no later than 24 hours after e-filing.

When e-filing a motion or response, the filer must email the assigned Judge and staff no later than 24 hours after filing.

Discovery disclosures by the Defendant shall be due to the State within twenty (20) calendar days of the date the State's Full

Responding parties are strongly encouraged to file motions to dismiss before the hearing date.

The written notice requesting the defendant’s presence at a bond hearing must reach the judge’s office by 3:00 p.m. on the day before the hearing.

The ADR Initiation Form and its copy for the ADR Office are due when the complaint or answer is filed.

Motions in limine must be filed at least seven days before trial.

The Petitioning party should assure service is perfected upon the responding party.

Initial Discovery consists of the specified materials in the State’s file and expert or lab reports in the State’s possession at indictment.

If Defendant elects reciprocal discovery, Defendant must serve discovery within 15 days after the State’s discovery is served and no later than 10 days before trial, unless the Court orders otherwise in writing.

After e-filing a motion or response, the attorney or party must email the opposing parties and the assigned judge and staff within 24 hours.

A written waiver of arraignment must be served upon the Court's Criminal Case Manager.

When seeking a ruling or hearing date on a motion or response longer than three pages including exhibits, attorneys must deliver a hard copy directly to the assigned judge's staff.

Attorneys seeking a ruling or hearing date must provide the assigned judge’s staff a hard copy of motions, proposed orders, and responses longer than three pages, including exhibits.

Attorneys must provide the assigned Judge's staff a hard copy of a motion or response when seeking a ruling or hearing date and the document, including exhibits, exceeds three pages.

Upon completing the form, e-file it, serve the opposing party with a copy, and provide a filed copy directly to Judge Stokes’s office separately from e-file courtesy copies.

Attorneys seeking a ruling or hearing date must provide one hard copy of motions or responses longer than three pages, including exhibits, directly to the assigned Judge's staff.

To obtain a hearing in an uncontested case, complete and file the Hearing Request form through Odyssey/E-file unless proceeding by Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings, then forward a copy to the judge's office.

Court orders for DBHDD evaluations or restoration services should be sent with this form and all available records by email or fax.

The completed hearing request form must be filed electronically.

The completed hearing request form must be filed electronically.

The completed hearing request form must be filed electronically.

An extension of the motions-in-limine deadline may be granted for good cause shown.

A case may not be continued or removed from the calendar without the judge’s approval or a judicial order.

The Court may grant extensions for good cause shown.

Fee waivers or reductions are available only for Mediation Center mediation services and transitional parenting classes.

The bond-petition email subject line must use the specified defendant-name, case-number, and petition wording format.

For any negotiated plea, plea paperwork must be typed and printed.

Parties must comply with the Standing Order’s mediation requirement before requesting a pretrial conference or final hearing.

The evaluation is provided to defense counsel or, if the accused is pro se, to the accused, and otherwise remains under seal and is not released without a court order; if the defense files a special plea of incompetency, the Court submits it to the prosecuting attorney.