Rule 43. MANDATORY CONTINUING JUDICIAL EDUCATION (MCJE) · Last amended 1999 · Last verified July 17, 2026
In one sentenceRule 43.4 lays out an escalating sanctioning process for judges who fall short of their MCJE hours, moving from committee notification and a make-up plan, to a private administrative admonition after two years short of twenty-four hours, to a public reprimand after three years of noncompliance.
(1)In December of each year, the Committee on Mandatory Continuing Judicial Education will receive a report from the Council of Superior Court Judges detailing the creditable participation of judges in MCJE activities for that year. At the same time, every superior court judge will also receive from the Council of Superior Court Judges a report on his or her creditable activity.
Judges failing to attain the required twelve hours in any year will be notified by the committee chair that they have not met the MCJE participation requirement for that year. Following receipt of such notice, a judge shall submit a plan for making up any deficiency in education requirements. Education credit hours earned thereafter shall first be credited to the deficiency for any prior year.
(2)Judges who fail to earn a minimum of twenty-four hours over a two-year period shall receive a private administrative admonition issued from the Committee on Mandatory Continuing Education of the Council of Superior Court Judges detailing the consequences of failure to fulfill the training requirements
(3)Upon a judge’s failure to fulfill the training requirements at the end of three years, the President of the Council of Superior Court Judges shall issue a public reprimand, with a copy spread upon the minutes of each county in the circuit where the judge serves.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 43.4 turns the education requirements of Rule 43.1 into something enforceable, with a graduated set of consequences that gets more serious the longer a judge falls behind. Every December, the Committee on Mandatory Continuing Judicial Education receives a report on every judge’s creditable participation for the year, and each judge gets a copy of their own record at the same time.
A judge who misses the twelve-hour annual requirement first hears from the committee chair, and has to submit a plan for making up the shortfall — any credit earned after that point goes first toward erasing the deficiency before it counts toward the current year. If the shortfall persists and a judge fails to reach twenty-four hours over a two-year stretch, the consequence escalates to a private administrative admonition from the committee, spelling out what happens if the pattern continues.
The final step is public. A judge who still has not met the training requirements after three years receives a public reprimand from the Council’s president, and a copy of that reprimand gets spread on the minutes of every county in the circuit where the judge serves — a visible, permanent record in the courts the judge presides over.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens the first time a judge fails to earn the required twelve hours in a year?
The committee chair notifies the judge that the MCJE participation requirement was not met, and the judge must submit a plan for making up the deficiency, with future credit hours applied first to that deficiency.
What sanction applies after two years of falling short of MCJE requirements?
Judges who fail to earn a minimum of twenty-four hours over a two-year period receive a private administrative admonition from the Committee detailing the consequences of failing to fulfill the training requirements.
What is the sanction after three years of noncompliance?
The President of the Council of Superior Court Judges issues a public reprimand, with a copy spread upon the minutes of each county in the circuit where the judge serves.
When does the Committee receive its annual report on judges’ education compliance?
In December of each year.
How are prior-year education deficiencies made up?
Education credit hours earned after notice of a deficiency are first credited to the deficiency for the prior year before counting toward the current year.
Amendment History
Amended effective October 28, 1993; amended effective September 2, 1999.
Source & verification. Rule text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Uniform Superior Court Rules, published by the
Council of Superior Court Judges of Georgia. Last verified July 17, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as:Georgia judge MCJE sanctions noncomplianceUSCR 43.4 private admonition public reprimand judgewhat happens if Georgia judge misses CLE hoursGeorgia superior court judge education deficiencyMCJE three year public reprimand Georgia