Atlanta, Sept. 5, 2018 – Chief Judge Geronda V. Carter of the Clayton Judicial Circuit has been designated to serve in place of Justice Nels S. D. Peterson in the appeal of First Acceptance Ins. Co. of Ga., Inc. v. Hughes et al. (S18G0517). The Supreme Court of Georgia will hear arguments in the case on Sept. 11 during its 10:00 A.M. session. In this case, an insurance company is appealing a Georgia Court of Appeals decision that allows a lawsuit against it to go forward. In addition to hearing arguments, Judge Carter will participate in the Court’s decision.
Judge Carter was elected to the Clayton County Superior Court on Jan. 1, 2007. She recently ran unopposed for a fourth term. Judge Carter began serving as the Chief Judge of the Clayton Judicial Circuit on Jan. 1, 2018. Prior to her election to the bench, Judge Carter served as the presiding Magistrate Court Judge and designated Superior Court Judge from 2005-2006. Before her public service, Judge Carter worked as an associate with the law firm of Oliver & Winkle, P.C. She also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia and Assistant Regional Attorney with the Social Security Administration.
Judge Carter attended Spelman College, where she graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She obtained her juris doctorate from the University of Miami School of Law in 1996. In 2016, she graduated from Restoration Theological Seminary, summa cum laude, with a Doctorate of Theology degree.
Judge Carter serves on the board of directors with Arts Clayton, Inc. and volunteers as a career coach with the Kennesaw State University Executive MBA Program. She is the recipient of the NAACP Outstanding Achievement Award, the National Black History Task Force’s Lucy Terry Prince Award, and a Distinguished Service Award from the Atlanta Club of Frontiers International, Inc. She has also received the Community Award from the Association of Christian Ministers of Clayton County.
Judge Carter resides in Clayton County with her husband and 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.)
