(a) There is created a juvenile court in every county in the state.

(b) Except where election is provided by local law, the judge or a majority of the judges of the superior court in each circuit in the state may appoint one or more qualified persons as judge of the juvenile courts of the circuit. Such superior court judge or judges shall establish the total number of circuit-wide juvenile court judges and shall establish whether the judge or judges shall be full time or part time, or a combination of full time and part time. Each circuit-wide judge appointed shall have the authority to act as judge of each juvenile court in each county of the circuit.

(c) If no person is appointed as a juvenile court judge for a circuit, then a superior court judge of the circuit shall as part of the duties of the superior court judge assume the duties of the juvenile court judge in all counties in the circuit in which a separate juvenile court judgeship has not been established.

(d) All juvenile court judgeships established on or before October 1, 2000, and their methods of compensation, selection, and operation shall continue until such time as one or more circuit-wide juvenile court judges are appointed. However, in any circuit where a superior court judge assumes the duties of the juvenile court judge, such circuit shall not be entitled to the state funds provided for in Code Section 15-11-52.

(e) When one or more circuit-wide juvenile court judges are appointed or elected, any juvenile court judge in office at that time shall be authorized to fulfill his or her term of office. The jurisdiction of each judge shall be circuit wide.

(f) After the initial appointments and prior to any subsequent appointment or reappointment of any part-time or full-time juvenile court judge, the judge or judges responsible for making the appointment shall publish notice of the vacancy of the juvenile court judgeship once a month for three months prior to such appointment or reappointment. Such notice shall be published in the official legal organ of each of the counties in the circuit where the juvenile court judge has venue. The expense of such publication shall be paid by the county governing authority in the county where such notice is published.

(g) In the event that more than one juvenile court judge is appointed, one judge shall be designated presiding judge.

(h) In any case in which action under this Code section is to be taken by a superior court judge of the circuit, such action shall be taken as follows:

(1) Where there are one or two superior court judges, such action shall be taken by the chief judge of the circuit; and

(2) Where there are more than two superior court judges, such action shall be taken by a majority vote of the judges of the circuit.