Superior Court Chief Judge LaTisha Dear Jackson of the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit has been designated to serve in place of Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs in the case of Southern States Chemical, Inc. et al. v. Tampa Tank and Welding, Inc. f/k/a Tampa Tank, Inc. et al. (S23A0273).
The Supreme Court of Georgia will hear arguments in the case on Thursday, Feb. 9, during its 10 a.m. session. In addition to the Chief Justice, Presiding Justice Nels S.D. Peterson and Justices Sarah Hawkins Warren, Charlie Bethel, and Andrew A. Pinson are recused or not participating in the case.
This case involves yearslong litigation originating in Fulton County between several companies in a dispute over the alleged faulty renovation of a sulfuric acid storage tank. In addition to hearing arguments in this case, Chief Judge Dear Jackson will participate in the Court’s decision.
Chief Judge LaTisha Dear Jackson
Chief Judge Dear Jackson was elected to DeKalb County Superior Court in 2018 and was reelected to another four-year term in 2022. In addition to being the chief judge, she also presides over DeKalb County’s Drug Court Track I program.
Prior to her swearing-in as a superior court judge, Chief Judge Dear Jackson served as an associate judge of the City of Stone Mountain Municipal Court and DeKalb County Recorders Court, as well as the chief judge of the City of Lithonia Municipal Court. She also has experience in private practice, working as a senior associate at the firm Thomas Kennedy Sampson & Tompkins in College Park, Ga.
Chief Judge Dear Jackson is a native of Los Angeles. In 1998, she graduated from Spelman College with a bachelor of arts in economics. She then earned her law degree from Georgia State University’s College of Law in 2001.
Chief Judge Dear Jackson is a 25-year member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and serves on the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta’s DeKalb County Board of Directors and on the Board of Directors of Leadership DeKalb. She is the past chairwoman of the Judicial Section of the State Bar of Georgia.
Chief Judge Dear Jackson lives with her husband in DeKalb County and attends Ray of Hope Christian Church. She’s also the proud aunt of two nieces and three nephews.
(Designated judges may be appointed when a Justice in certain circumstances is recused 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.)