Georgia Judges

    In Georgia, the judge you stand before can shape your life in ways that are hard to overstate. Nowhere is this more true than in the Superior Court. Whether you're fighting for custody of your child, defending yourself in a felony trial, or battling over property in a divorce, it's the Superior Court judge who will call the shots—and once they do, there’s not much you can do about it.

   Superior Court judges in Georgia wield immense authority. These elected officials are not just referees—they are decision-makers with broad discretion over nearly every aspect of your case. From issuing rulings on evidence and motions, to determining who gets custody of your child, or whether you go to prison, their word can become law in your life. And unlike federal judges who often have panels and more frequent appellate oversight, a Georgia Superior Court judge usually acts alone. The courtroom is their domain.

Technically, there’s always the right to appeal. Realistically, appeals in Georgia are expensive, slow, and deferential to the trial judge. Unless there’s a glaring legal error, appellate courts are reluctant to disturb what a Superior Court judge decides. And when it comes to family law, especially custody and visitation, the Court of Appeals will almost always defer to the judge’s “sound discretion”—even when that discretion feels anything but sound.

That’s what makes judicial accountability so important. A Superior Court judge can:

• Decide whether you can see your child and under what conditions
   
• Issue rulings that affect your housing, finances, and freedom
   
• Determine credibility—often based on gut feeling, not evidence
   
• Appoint Guardians ad Litem, receivers, or special masters who then operate under their authority
   
• Sign orders without hearings, sometimes based on filings you never saw
   

And when things go wrong—when a judge acts unfairly, ignores evidence, or shows bias—your options are extremely limited. Complaints to oversight bodies like the Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) rarely result in discipline unless there's scandalous conduct. Meanwhile, litigants and their children are left to live with the consequences.

Unlike federal judges, Georgia’s Superior Court judges are elected by the people. That means voters do have a say—but only if they show up and know who they're voting for. Judicial elections are often overlooked, buried down-ballot beneath big-name races for president or governor. Candidates tend to run unopposed. Campaigns are quiet, and most voters don’t know what a Superior Court judge actually does until they’re standing in front of one.

If you care about fairness in your local legal system, you must care about who wears the robe in your county courthouse. A judge who is fair, experienced, and even-tempered can restore trust in the justice system. A judge who is careless, biased, or overly cozy with attorneys and insiders can destroy it.

• Georgia has 50 judicial circuits. Each one has at least one Superior Court judge, some have more. These are constitutional officers with broad jurisdiction.
   
• Judges serve four-year terms. They must run for re-election, but rarely face serious challengers—largely because of name recognition, incumbency advantage, and the perception that they’re untouchable.
   
• Many judges once served as prosecutors or private attorneys, and their prior affiliations can shape their courtroom temperament and rulings.
   
• Judicial immunity protects them from lawsuits for almost anything they do while acting in their official capacity—no matter how damaging.
   

Because one judge can wreck your life—or protect your rights. The courthouse may be the only place where ordinary people confront the power of the state on equal footing—unless the scales are already tipped. Knowing who your judges are, holding them accountable, and participating in judicial elections is not just civic duty—it’s self-defense.

This section of our website will pull back the curtain on the individuals behind the bench. We’ll look at their records, rulings, campaign donors, and more—because in Georgia, justice is not blind. And if you don’t know who your judges are, chances are, they don’t know—or care—who you are either.