Atlanta, Oct. 11, 2017 – Superior Court Judge Kathryn M. Schrader of the Gwinnett Judicial Circuit has been designated to serve in place of Justice Nels S. D. Peterson in the case of Lucas v. Beckman Coulter, Inc. et al. (S17G0541). The Supreme Court of Georgia will hear arguments in the case on Monday, Oct. 16, 2017 during its 10:00 A.M. session. In this case, a man who sued his company after a co-worker accidentally shot him in the stomach at work is appealing a Georgia Court of Appeals ruling that the company is immune from liability. In addition to hearing arguments, Judge Schrader will participate in the Court’s decision.
Judge Schrader, 55, was elected to the Gwinnett County Superior Court in 2012 and has been reelected once. Prior to her public service, Judge Schrader was engaged in private practice with the law office of Kathryn M. Schrader, P.C. for 25 years. She served as a Municipal Court Judge for the City of Duluth from 2005-2012 and the City of Sugar Hill from 2008-2012. She currently presides over the Gwinnett County Felony Drug Court and the Gwinnett County Parent Accountability Court.
Judge Schrader is a native Georgian and grew up in the Stone Mountain area. She earned her undergraduate degree in Global Politics with a minor in Psychology from the University of Georgia and obtained her law degree from Mercer University.
Judge Schrader has served as a member of the board of directors for the Governor’s Office for Children and Families, the Children & Youth Coordinating Council, the Council of Superior Court Judges, and the Council for Accountability Court Judges. She is a past president of the Gwinnett County Bar Association.
Judge Schrader has been married to Richard Schrader for 30 years and has three children.
(Designated judges are appointed when a justice must recuse himself or herself from a particular case. The Supreme Court of Georgia maintains a list of select judges from around the state and when the need arises, the Court appoints the next judge on the list.)