Decatur, Georgia Legal Overview The City of Decatur is the county seat of DeKalb County, Georgia. The DeKalb County Superior Court serves as the main trial court and has general jurisdiction over everything from felony prosecutions to family law cases, such as divorce petitions and child custody or support hearings. The superior court and State Court of DeKalb County share jurisdiction on civil cases of any amount. The state court also receives misdemeanor cases, county code violations, traffic violations, landlord-tenant disputes, garnishments and domestic violence complaints.
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1. The DeKalb County Magistrate Court handles civil cases that do not exceed $15,000, along with landlord-tenant cases, bad checks and garnishments. The magistrate as well as state court may issue an arrest warrant, conduct a preliminary hearing or arraignment and set bail. The Municipal Court of Decatur handles traffic tickets and city code violations. Probate of wills and estate administration matters are handled by the DeKalb County Probate Court, along with minor or elder guardianships. Delinquency and other cases involving offenses by minors are received by the DeKalb County Juvenile Court.
Trending Decatur, Georgia Legal Topics: Appeals against verdicts obtained in the municipal, magistrate and probate courts must be filed with the DeKalb County Superior Court, where the case gets a new jury trial. An appeal against the superior or juvenile court has to be filed with the Court of Appeals of Georgia in Atlanta. The highest court in the state judicial system is the Georgia Supreme Court. The federal court for Decatur is the Atlanta Division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. |