In accordance with the wishes of local political and judicial leaders, members of the Henry County delegation in the Georgia House of Representatives have introduced a bill that would provide for the installment of a fourth Superior Court judge at the county courthouse.

  If it is passed into law as stated in its current form on the state’s website, a new judge would be appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp later this year and be on the bench beginning January 1, 2021. The initial term would be three years, with a nonpartisan election scheduled for 2023 and the elected judge taking office January 1, 2024. Subsequent terms would be four years.

  Once the fourth judge is in place, the bill also stipulates that the judge, who has seniority among all four with regard to continuous service as a Superior Court judge, would be named the chief judge of the Flint Judicial Circuit. For decades the Flint circuit consisted of Henry and three neighboring counties, but when Henry County became its own circuit more than a decade ago it retained the Flint name.

  The bill’s listed sponsors are Andy Welch, Demetrius Douglas, Dale Rutledge, El-Mahdi Holly, Karen Mathiak and Sandra Scott – all of whom represent a portion of Henry County.

  As of late last week, there was no indications to when the bill would be heard in committee or what further action might be taken.

  Superior Court Judge Brian Amero briefed the Henry County Board of Commissioners last September about the situation at the courthouse, saying that the three current judges “have been doing the work of four for a very long time.” Data from the state’s Judicial Workload Assessment Committee support Amero’s claim.

  He initially petitioned the commissioners for support nearly a year ago and received it in writing along with all ten members of the county’s legislative delegation. The state’s Judicial Council was unanimous in its support for a fourth judge in the Flint Judicial Circuit.

  Amero expressed cautious optimism last fall about a positive legislative result, saying that Henry County was a priority among the circuits that were approved from a workload standpoint for an increase.