Press Release
Atlanta, Dec. 6, 2017 – Superior Court Judge Suzanne H. Smith of the Cherokee Judicial Circuit has been designated to serve in place of Justice Nels S. D. Peterson in the appeal of The State v. Davis (S17G1333). The Supreme Court of Georgia will hear arguments in the case on Dec. 11, 2017 during its 10:00 A.M. session. In this Chatham County case, the State is appealing a Georgia Court of Appeals decision that allows a convicted child molester, who was later pardoned by the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, to be released from the requirement that he register as a sex offender. In addition to hearing arguments, Judge Smith will participate in the Court’s decision.
Judge Smith, 53, was appointed to the Superior Court of the Cherokee Judicial Circuit by Gov. Nathan Deal on April 16, 2014. The circuit includes Bartow and Gordon counties. Prior to her appointment, Judge Smith served as the County Attorney for Gordon County for 24 years. From 1995 to 2014, she served as the Judge of the Municipal Court of Calhoun, GA. She was an assistant district attorney for the Cherokee Judicial Circuit from 1990 to 1995 and was in private practice with the firm of Chance, Maddox, & Smith from 1989 to 1990.
Judge Smith graduated magna cum laude from Berry College with undergraduate degrees in English and Spanish. She received her Juris Doctorate in 1998 from the University of Georgia.
Judge Smith is active in the Calhoun Historic Preservation Commission. She is also involved in the Calhoun Downtown Development Authority. She is married to Nathan Smith and has a daughter, a third-year medical student.