ga-draft-order

Draft a Georgia Proposed Order

NOT LEGAL ADVICE. This skill scaffolds a court document as a drafting aid. The user — not the skill — chooses the findings, the relief, and the form of the order. Only a judge signs an order; this skill prepares the proposed form for the judge's consideration. Verify every rule, deadline, and citation against current law before filing. Pair with substantive review by counsel where stakes warrant.

Use this skill in addition to ga-statewide-format when a motion or stipulation calls for a proposed order the judge can sign. The proposed order replicates the caption (O.C.G.A. § 9-11-10(a)), recites the matter before the court, states the findings, and sets out the decretal paragraphs. A judgment or order is effective only when it is signed by the judge and filed with the clerk (entry by filing, O.C.G.A. § 9-11-58).

Cardinal rule — the proposed order mirrors the motion

The order's relief should mirror exactly the relief requested in the motion. Two failure modes:

• Over-reaching: ordering something the motion did not request — judges strike or modify these.
• Under-reaching: omitting something the motion requested.

Cross-check the prayer for relief in the motion (WHEREFORE…) against the order's decretal paragraphs (IT IS HEREBY ORDERED…) one item at a time.

Standard proposed-order structure

                [Caption — exactly matching the motion,
                 per O.C.G.A. § 9-11-10(a)]

           [DOCUMENT TITLE: ORDER ON DEFENDANT'S
              MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY]

This matter comes before the Court on [Movant]'s [Motion Title] (the
"Motion"), filed [date]. The Court, having reviewed the Motion, any
response and reply, the supporting affidavits and exhibits, and the
record, FINDS as follows:

1. [Finding 1 — e.g., "Defendant timely served Plaintiff with its
   First Interrogatories and Requests for Production on [date]."]

2. [Finding 2 — e.g., "Plaintiff did not timely respond to
   Interrogatories Nos. 3, 5, and 7 or Requests for Production Nos. 2
   and 8 within the time allowed by O.C.G.A. § 9-11-33 and § 9-11-34."]

3. [Finding 3 — additional findings as needed.]

The Court CONCLUDES that good cause exists to grant the Motion.

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:

(a) [Movant]'s Motion to Compel Discovery is GRANTED.

(b) Plaintiff shall serve, within [14] days of entry of this Order,
    full and complete responses to Defendant's Interrogatories Nos. 3,
    5, and 7 and Requests for Production Nos. 2 and 8, without
    objection.

(c) [Additional decretal paragraphs as needed.]

SO ORDERED, this ___ day of __________, 20__.

                                        _____________________________
                                        Judge, [Superior / State] Court
                                        of [County] County

Findings vs. ordering — keep them separate

Georgia judges expect a clear separation between factual findings (numbered, neutrally stated) and the decretal paragraphs (the lettered or numbered list of specific commands). Conflating the two makes it harder for the judge to delete a finding without invalidating a command.

Default judgment order

For a default judgment, the proposed order should recite the predicate findings:

This matter comes before the Court on Plaintiff's motion for default
judgment. The Court FINDS:

1. Defendant was served with the Summons and Complaint on [date] per
   the return of service filed [date].

2. Defendant failed to answer or otherwise respond within the time
   allowed by O.C.G.A. § 9-11-12(a), and the case is in default under
   O.C.G.A. § 9-11-55(a); the default was not opened.

3. Plaintiff is entitled to judgment in the amount of $______,
   consisting of [principal $____; interest $____; costs $____].

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that judgment is entered in favor of Plaintiff
and against Defendant in the amount of $______.

Entry, signature, and effect — O.C.G.A. § 9-11-58

• Only a judge signs and enters an order. The filer submits the order in proposed form; the judge fills any remaining blanks, may strike portions the Court declines to grant, signs, and the clerk files it.
• A judgment is effective only upon signing by the judge and entry by filing with the clerk (O.C.G.A. § 9-11-58). Deadlines that run from "entry of judgment" run from that filing date, not the date the proposed order was submitted.
• The signature line should name the court and county: Judge, [Superior / State] Court of [County] County.

Filing checklist

• Caption replicates the motion's caption exactly
• Findings are numbered, neutral, and separate from the decretal paragraphs
• Decretal paragraphs mirror the motion's prayer item-by-item
• Signature line names the court and county; dated blank left for the judge
• No relief beyond what the motion requested
• Format check passes (scripts/format-check.py)

Composition

• For format: ga-statewide-format
• For the supporting motion: ga-draft-motion
• For the supporting affidavit: ga-draft-declaration
• For the post-hearing signed-order workflow: ga-submit-order
• For the venue overlay: ga-fulton, ga-cobb, ga-gwinnett, ga-state-court, ga-magistrate, ga-county-courts, ga-family-court
• For post-judgment specifics: ga-post-judgment
• For family-law decrees: ga-family-law
• For pre-filing QC: ga-quality-check, ga-fact-check

References

• references/proposed-order-template.md — annotated template
• references/default-judgment-order.md — default-judgment findings variant
• references/findings-vs-order.md — separation conventions