The Sentence Review Panels were established by the Georgia Legislature in 1973 as panels of three Superior Court judges who reviewed felony sentences of five or more years upon application. The panels had the authority to reduce sentences but not to suspend them or reduce them to probation. The constitutionality of the panels were challenged in 2007. The General Assembly gave the panels until January 1, 2009 to conclude their business and transfer the closed case files to the Georgia Archives.