May 7, 2014
Superior Court Judge Mary E. Staley, from the Cobb Judicial Circuit, Marietta, became President of the Council of Superior Court Judges on May 1, 2014. Her term of office and those of Council President-Elect Judge Brenda S. Weaver, Appalachian Judicial Circuit, Jasper, and Secretary-Treasurer Judge Horace J. Johnson, Jr., Alcovy Judicial Circuit, Covington, runs from May 1, 2014 to April 30, 2015.
Judge Staley has served as a Superior Court Judge in the Cobb Judicial Circuit since 1992. She began practicing law in Cobb County in 1978 as an assistant District Attorney. She was elected to the State Court of Cobb County in 1983 and served as a State Court Judge until 1992. Additionally, she is presiding judge of the Cobb County Superior Court Mental Health Court.
Judge Staley is the recipient of the Joseph T. Tuggle Professionalism Award from the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia; a graduate of Leadership Georgia; past president of the Charles Weltner American Inn of Court; and author of Georgia Jurisprudence Family Law Volume 8. She has previously served on the Judicial Council of Georgia. Judge Staley currently sits on the advisory board of the Cobb Justice Foundation. She served on the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Continuing Legal Education from 2006-2010. She is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Cobb County Bar Association. She is currently president of the Kiwanis Club of Marietta.
Judge Staley graduated cum laude from the State University of West Georgia in 1975 with Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and Literature, and in 1978 she received her Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia School of Law. She is married to Charles E. Clark, and they have two sons and three grandchildren.
The Council of Superior Court Judges is composed of the state’s 209 superior court judges and over 70 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 and has adopted strategic planning to identify and pursue operational goals. Duties of the Council include state superior court judges’ budget development and administration; initiating and responding to legislative issues involving the Superior Court; adoption of uniform court rules; preparation of bench publications, including jury charge instructions and benchbooks; and certification of 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. They also serve on the Judicial Council of Georgia with representatives of the other courts in the state setting policy for the judiciary. The Council’s central office is located in Atlanta.