Cobb County Superior Court Judge Ann Harris assumed the role of president of the Council of Superior Court Judges.
Her term extends through April 30, 2025.
She is joined by President-Elect Judge Richard “Bert” Guy Jr. of the Brunswick Judicial Circuit and Secretary-Treasurer Judge B. Chan Caudell of the Mountain Judicial Circuit.
In this article, you will learn:
- Who is Judge Ann Harris?
- What is the Council of Superior Court Judges?
- What is Cobb County Superior Court?
Who is Judge Ann Harris?
Judge Harris was elected to the Superior Court in 2014 and was re-elected without opposition in 2018 and 2022. In addition to handling a full docket of criminal, domestic, and civil matters, she oversees Cobb County’s Mental Health and Parental Accountability Courts. The Mental Health Court is a model for other courts in the state, and the Parental Accountability Court has been recognized for its work transforming chronic non-payers of child support into self-sufficient parents through education, substance abuse treatment, and job assistance.
Judge Harris also collaborates with the Republic of Georgia to promote the independence of their judiciary and enhance the rule of law. She chairs the CSCJ Pattern Jury Instructions Committee and is Vice-Chief Judge of the Cobb Superior Court bench.
A Vanderbilt Law School graduate, she previously served as an assistant district attorney for 19 years, playing a role in drafting Georgia’s first human trafficking laws in 2006. She also chaired MUST Ministries’ Board of Directors, a non-profit helping struggling families. Married to Jim, an Auburn fan, for 39 years, they live in Smyrna with their rescue dogs, Bert and Willie.
What is the Council of Superior Court Judges?
A news release on the Cobb County website describes the Council of Superior Court Judges as follows:
The Council of Superior Court Judges comprises the state’s 228 Superior Court judges and over 100 senior (retired) Superior Court judges. It was established by the state legislature in 1985 to further the improvement of the Superior Courts and the administration of justice in Georgia. The Council seeks to identify and propose solutions to problems common to all judges. Duties of the Council include developing and administrating Georgia’s Superior Court Judges’ budget, initiating and responding to legislative issues involving the Superior Court, drafting and proposing Uniform Superior Court Rules, preparing bench publications including pattern jury instructions, and certifying continuing judicial education.
The organization is led by an Executive Committee representing each of the ten judicial administrative district plus the newly elected officers. The committee is authorized to manage the projects and policies of the council.
Members of the committee are also on the Judicial Council of Georgia, which includes members of the other classes of court in the state.
What is Cobb County Superior Court?
In Georgia, the Superior Court is one of three trial courts found in each judicial circuit. The other two trial courts are State Courts and Probate Courts.
If you watch TV or movie courtroom dramas you’ll be familiar with the most high-profile role of the court. Superior Court in Georgia would be the court where a murder trial would be conducted.
So the Superior Court conducts felony trials.
But it also handles a number of other types of case.
The Georgia Superior Courts website describes the varied functions as follows:
The Superior Courts of Georgia is a court of general jurisdiction handling both civil and criminal law actions. Superior Court Judges preside over cases involving misdemeanors, contract disputes, premises liability, and various other actions. In addition, the Superior Court has exclusive equity jurisdiction over all cases of divorce, title to land, and felonies involving jury trials, including death penalty cases.
How are Superior Court judges chosen?
Superior Court judges are elected for four-year terms in nonpartisan elections. If a judge resigns or retires the governor appoints a replacement to serve out the judge’s unexpired term.
The requirements to run for a Superior Court seat is that the candidate be at least thirty years old, has been a Georgia citizen for at least three years, and the candidate has practiced law for at least seven years.
How do I learn about Superior Court judges before elections?
Judicial races are among the most difficult races for the public to research, but the internet has made it easier.
For Cobb County judicial elections there are a number of media that cover the courts and candidates, including here at the Cobb County Courier, the Marietta Daily Journal, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and East Cobb News.
For biographies of judicial candidates, you can also visit the campaign web pages of the candidates. Those biographies are of course written to put the candidate in the best light, but it’s a good starting point for determining the candidate’s educational and employment background.
To get a list of the candidates, visit the Georgia Secretary of State page for qualified candidate information at https://sos.ga.gov/qualifying-candidate-information
Superior Court is considered a state office, so you would select “State” on the Office Type pulldown menu, the General Primary/Special Election under the Election menu, and “Non Partisan” under the Party menu. Then under Offices scroll down the pulldown menu until you find the Superior Court race you are looking for.
