Atlanta, June 15, 2017 – Judge Cynthia C. Adams of the Superior Court of the Douglas Judicial Circuit has been designated to serve in place of Justice Nels S. D. Peterson in the appeal of Ocmulglee Electric Membership Corporation et al. v. McDuffie (S17G0038). The Supreme Court of Georgia will hear arguments in the case on June 19, 2017 during its 2:00 P.M. session. In this case, the Ocmulgee EMC is appealing a Georgia Court of Appeals ruling that employers must prove that suitable employment is available before suspending an employee’s workers’ compensation benefits. In addition to hearing arguments, Judge Adams will participate in the Court’s decision.

Judge Adams, 41, was appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal and sworn in as a superior court judge of the Douglas Judicial Circuit on Feb. 13, 2017. Prior to her appointment to the bench, she served as Judge Pro Tempore in the Douglas County Juvenile Court from 2013 to 2017. She was the solo practitioner at the Law Office of Cynthia C. Adams in Douglasville, GA from February 2008 to January 2017.

As a teenager in 1993, Judge Adams was selected as an intern for the first class of the Atlanta Bar Association’s Summer Law Internship Program for high school students. Now in its 25th year, Judge Adams serves as a mentor and an intern host. She is a 2017 graduate of Leadership Douglas, and a member of the Junior League of Douglas County. Judge Adams is also a member of the Rotary club of Douglas County.

Judge Adams graduated from Oakwood College (now Oakwood University) in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Communications. She obtained her juris doctorate from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2002. She is married to D. Dwayne Adams, also an attorney and partner at his law firm. They have two children, Isabel and Alexander.

(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.)