GA HB409

Transfers authority over appointment of substitute district attorneys and solicitors-general from the Attorney General to the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of the State of Georgia when disqualification occurs due to interest or relationship conflicts.

Establishes the Judicial Legal Defense Fund to provide state-funded legal representation, including attorney's fees and legal costs, for Supreme Court justices, Court of Appeals judges, State-wide Business Court judges, and superior court judges sued for actions related to their official duties.

Creates the five-member Judicial Legal Defense Fund Commission, with appointees from the Chief Justice, Governor, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, and The Council of Superior Court Judges, serving two-year terms with Senate confirmation required.

Requires defendant judges seeking state-funded representation to first request representation from the Attorney General and the Department of Administrative Services within 3 days of service; if both decline within 10 days, the judge may then petition the commission, which has 5 days to evaluate and endorse the request before forwarding it to the Governor for final approval and funding through the Governor's Emergency Fund.

Preserves judges' right to retain private counsel at their own expense and specifies that the fund does not constitute insurance coverage or a waiver of sovereign, qualified, or official immunity.