Cobb judge to serve as president Georgia judicial council

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Submitted information and photo:Cobb jurist to serve as president Georgia judicial council

Superior Court Judge Ann Harris of the Cobb Judicial Circuit, Marietta, became President of the Council of Superior Court Judges. Her term of office and those of President-Elect Superior Court Judge Richard “Bert” Guy Jr., of the Brunswick Judicial Circuit and Secretary Treasurer, Superior Court Judge B. Chan Caudell of the Mountain Judicial Circuit, will run through April 30, 2025.

Judge Ann Harris was elected to the Superior Court of the Cobb Judicial Circuit in July 2014 and was re-elected without opposition in 2018 and 2022. In addition to managing a full docket of criminal, domestic, and civil matters, Judge Harris presides over Cobb County’s Mental Health and Parental Accountability Courts. The former is a model court among the State’s mental health courts, and the latter is an award-winning program that seeks to transform chronic non-payers of child support into self-sufficient financially supportive parents through education, substance abuse treatment, and job assistance and placement. Over the past seven years, Judge Harris has participated in a cooperative effort with the Republic of Georgia to promote the independence of the Georgian judiciary and strengthen the rule of law in that country by assisting their judges in court and jury trial management. Chair of the CSCJ Pattern Jury Instructions Committee. She is also the Vice-Chief Judge of the Cobb Superior Court bench and is a member of the Weltner Family Law Inn of Court.

Before her election to the bench, Judge Harris served the people of Cobb County as an assistant district attorney for 19 years. In addition to prosecuting all types of serious felony offenses, she helped draft the first human trafficking laws in Georgia in 2006 and was a member of the regional human trafficking task force. Prior to her legal career, Judge Harris worked for several years as a senior consultant with an international information services consulting firm.

She earned her law degree from Vanderbilt University and her bachelor’s degree from Auburn University. She is a member of, and recently finished a two-year term as Chair, of the Board of Directors of MUST Ministries, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting homeless and struggling families and individuals with housing, food, clothing, employment and other needs. She and her husband Jim, both devoted Auburn fans, have been married for 39 years and live in Smyrna with their two rescue dogs Bert & Willie.

The Council of Superior Court Judges is composed of 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 newly elected officers, Immediate Past-President, and administrative judges representing each of the ten judicial administrative districts in Georgia comprise the Council of Superior Court Judges’ Executive Committee, which is authorized to manage the projects and policies of the Council. Theyalso serve on the Judicial Council of Georgia with representatives of other classes of court to set policy for the judiciary. The Council’s central office is located in Atlanta.

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