JUDICIAL IDENTIFICATION CARD APPLICATION GUIDELINES
Effective July 1, 2016, the Official Code of Georgia has a new Chapter 25 in Title 15 (Courts) that provides for the issuance of personal identification cards to Georgia’s judges and justices. These ID cards are to be issued by the probate court in the county in which the applicant is domiciled. The Council of Probate Court Judges of Georgia has drafted an application for these ID cards to assist judges with determining who is eligible to receive one.
In issuing these ID cards, please keep in mind the following:
· Judges eligible to receive ID cards under O.C.G.A. Code Section 15-25-2 are retired, former and current:
o Federal judges;
o Justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia;
o judges of the Court of Appeals of Georgia;
o superior court judges;
o state court judges;
o probate court judges and associate probate court judges;
o juvenile court judges and associate juvenile court judges ;
o chief magistrate judges and magistrate judges;
o full-time and part-time judges of municipal courts; and
o administrative law judges.
· Judges currently in office at the time they apply for ID cards DO NOT need to pass a fingerprint based criminal history records check from GCIC or the FBI. They only need to complete the application through the section marked Roman numeral I., and then sign both oaths in the section marked Roman numeral IV. The probate judge issuing the ID card must be satisfied the applicant is currently serving in one of the positions listed above.
o All federal judges and federal magistrates have ID cards issued by the federal government that can be used for verification.
· A person who has been newly elected or appointed to the above judgeships may apply for their judicial ID prior to taking the oath of office, but the issuance of the judicial ID shall occur subsequent to him or her taking the oath.
· To be eligible as a former judge or justice, the applicant must have “served as such judge or justice for more than 24 months” and provide appropriate documentation of service.
o If the applicant is a former or retired judge – which includes senior judges, he or she must be qualified to be issued a weapons carry license to receive a judicial ID. The retired or former judge must apply for both a weapons carry license and the judicial ID. Upon verification of the qualification to hold a weapons carry license based on a fingerprint based criminal history records check from GCIC and the FBI for a new license or the name and date of birth check for a renewal license, the Court will issue both a weapons carry license and the judicial ID to the judge. These applicants must complete sections II and III of the application.
o Run the fingerprint based criminal history check using code “F.”
· Probate judges must apply for their own judicial ID card in a “neighboring county,” not the county in which they serve as probate judge.
· The statutory requirements for the ID cards’ security features will be met by the card vendor, The Police and Sheriffs Press, Inc. (PASP).
· The judicial ID card application should be transmitted to PASP in the same manner as a weapons carry license application.
· When an actively serving judge or justice becomes a former judge or justice, he or she must surrender the ID card to the probate court of the county in which the ID card was issued. The former judges or justice may then apply for an ID card that reflects status as a former judge (which will require a weapons carry license application and criminal background check).
· The CPCJ has statutory authority to determine the fee for judicial ID cards.
o The fee for currently serving judges is $15.00, which includes a $7.00 fee for PASP with the remainder to the county. The fee for former or retired judges is $7.00 plus the cost of a weapons carry license.
o Retired, Former, Senior Judges that hold a current Weapons Carry License the cost for the Judicial ID Card will be $15.00.
o Current, Retired, Former, Senior Judges that hold a current Weapons Carry License, the cost for a renewal will be the $30.00 (or the current cost of a renewal), the cost for the Judicial ID Card will be $7.00.
o Replacement cards will cost $6.00 and are only valid for the remaining period for which the original ID card was issued.
· ID cards are only valid for four years, as opposed to five years for a weapons carry license.
· For workload reporting purposes, ID cards should be counted in the “Miscellaneous Administration” box, in the “Administrative Actions” section.
· Sources to verify an applicant’s status as a judge or justice include:
o The Administrative Office of the Courts, which has past editions of the Georgia Courts Directory, 404-656-5171;
o For administrative law judges, The Georgia Office of State Administrative Hearings, www.osah.ga.gov/judges-dir.aspx;
o County Boards of Elections;
o the Georgia Secretary of State’s office,
§ Court of Appeals judges:
sos.ga.gov/cgi-bin/OfficialDirectoryGAAppealsCourt.asp
§ Superior Court judges:
sos.ga.gov/cgi-bin/OfficialDirectoryGASuperiorCourt.asp; and
o for municipal judges, the minutes of the city council meeting at which the judge was sworn in to office.
If you need assistance verifying eligibility, call the CPCJ executive director at 404-463-6296.
· REVOCATION: Judicial ID cards are valid for four years, but should be revoked based on any event that would trigger the revocation of a weapons carry license