Memorandum

To:	All Judges
From:	William L. Martin, III
Subject:	Report of Administrator/Clerk
Date:	March 10, 1998

Attached please find a copy of my report for your review. If you have any questions about any item in the report, please feel free to contact me.

1.	Oral Argument Report

Attached please find the monthly report for the number and percent of oral arguments requested, granted and denied through March, 1998.

(Page 3.)

2.	Flower Fund Report

Attached please find a copy of the Flower Fund Report to reflect activity in the fund through January 30, 1998. (Page 4.)

3.	Legislation

Senate Bill 78 which would increase the number of judges on the Court of Appeals by three passed out of the House Judiciary Committee with a Substitute to increase the number of judges on the Court by two. This came out of the House Judiciary Committee with a "do pass" recommendation. Before it can get on the calendar for a vote, it must go through House Rules.

I have been attending House Rules and I am very confident that the bill will come out of House Rules, however, it may not come out until the last seven days of the session. The Senate will not accept House Bills during the last seven days of the 40 day session so the House tries to get all of their bills to the Senate before the last seven days of session. House Rules Committee Chairman Representative Bill Lee has spoken in favor of the Bill and the need to create more judgeships on the Court of Appeals and the Superior Courts in order to serve the needs of the citizens of Georgia.

I have attached a copy of the legislation initiated by the Court last year which is still pending. I do not anticipate that any activity will occur on these other bills, and probably we should not encourage any activity, at least until such time as the judgeship bill passes both the House and Senate. (Page 5.)

4.	Mass Swearing-In

The Younger Lawyer Section is scheduling a mass swearing-in for mid- May, the date to be announced later.

5.	State Bar

This is to remind you that the State Bar Meeting will be held in Atlanta this year. I have contacted Lynne Carpentier about an advance agenda of the State Bar Meeting. Hopefully, we will have a preliminary agenda by the end of this week or early next week. If any of you wish for me to make reservations for you for the Bar, please let me know. I believe the dates of the Bar are June 17-21, 1998.

ORAL ARGUMENT REPORT

COURT OF APPEALS OF GEORGIA

JANUARY 1998

Below is a listing of the number and percentages of oral arguments requested, granted and denied in the Court of Appeals by month from January 1998.

JAN	FEB	MAR	APR	MAY	JUN	JUL	SEP	OCT	NOV	TOTAL
Number of Arguments Requested	82	52	30	29	193
Number of Arguments Granted	40	35	14	15	104
Number of Arguments Denied	42	17	16	14	89
Percentage Granted	49%	67%	47%	52%	54%
Percentage

Denied	51%	33%	53%	48%	46%