On January 1, 2024, a comprehensive revision of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Georgia went into effect as part of an effort to modernize the rules and bring them up to date with current technologies and other state and federal appellate courts. Below is a list of some of the more substantial changes that impact civil cases:
Rule 6 (Frivolous appeals) now clearly defines a frivolous case by listing three criteria and includes a provision allowing the Court to impose a penalty for an appeal taken for delay.
Rule 7 (Contempt and sanctions) now expands the scope of violations and potential sanctions.
Rule 9 (Supersedeas) now provides more detailed requirements for a supersedeas and includes information about filing a motion to stay in trial court.
Rule 13 now allows an electronic filing option for pro se filers.
Rule 14 (Service) now allows electronic service.
Rule 15 (Number of Copies) now reduces the number of paper copies required for hard copy filers.
Rule 16 (Typography) now allows for different font styles while specifying text alignment and line spacing.
Rule 17 (Documents: Electronic Filings) now details requirements for electronic document format, spacing, hyperlinks, and reactions and also includes information about submitting sealed documents and requirements for redacting certain personal information.
Rule 18 (Documents: Paper Filings) now eliminates the requirement for stapling hard copy documents.
Rule 19 (Briefs: Enumeration of Errors and Jurisdictional Statement) now provides more specific guidance for the content and structure of briefs.
Rule 22 (Briefs: Argument and Authority) now provides guidelines for citing electronic records.
Rule 26 now provides more detail concerning certain types of motions, as well as clear timelines for certain actions and specific requirements for documentation.
Rule 26.1 (Certificate of Interested Persons) introduces the filing of a Certificate of Interested Persons and specifies what should be included.
In the event you have any matters before the Supreme Court of Georgia (or any other court), it is always imperative you review the procedural rules for compliance. Given the significant number of changes to the Rules of the Supreme Court of Georgia, it’s now critical you ensure you review the updated set of rules effective January 1, 2024.
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