The Honorable LaTisha Dear Jackson, a native of Los Angeles, California, was elected Superior Judge of the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit in 2018. In both 2021 and 2022, Judge Jackson was selected to serve by designation as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia on two separate cases. Her service in 2022 was historic in that it was the first time the Supreme Court had an all-woman bench preside over oral arguments. After just nine months in office, Judge Jackson began serving as a presiding judge in the Circuit’s Drug Court, a role she still serves in. Within the Circuit, Judge Jackson has served in various leadership roles such as the Presiding Judge for the Circuit’s four Accountability Courts, the Chief Judge of the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit as well as the Administrative Judge for the Fourth Judicial Administrative District which is comprised of DeKalb and Rockdale Circuits.

Immediately before her election, Judge Jackson was a Senior Associate at Thomas Kennedy Sampson & Tompkins, LLP. There, she defended corporate and governmental clients in medical malpractice, wrongful death, premises liability, and insurance matters. She also represented individuals in personal injury and wrongful death matters.

Prior to joining TKST, Judge Jackson served as a full-time judge in the DeKalb County Recorders Court and sat by designation in both the Superior and State Courts of DeKalb County. For over a decade, Judge Jackson served as a judge in local courts. In 2008, she made history by becoming both the first female and youngest judge to ever serve as a Municipal Court Judge in the City of Stone Mountain. In 2012, she again made history by becoming the first female Chief Municipal Court Judge in the City of Lithonia.

Prior to becoming a member of the judiciary, Judge Jackson was a solo practitioner handling juvenile and family law matters as well as criminal defense. Judge Jackson also previously served as an Assistant Solicitor General in DeKalb County.

Judge Jackson earned her Juris Doctorate from Georgia State University and her undergraduate degree from the prestigious Spelman College.

Judge Jackson is active in numerous professional organizations. She is a current member of both DLA and GABWA’s Judicial Applicant Review Committees. Over a decade ago, Judge Jackson was appointed by the then Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia to serve on its Access to Justice Committee, where she continually works to ensure that there is unfettered access to the courts by litigants and the public as they navigate the judicial system. She is also a member of several bar associations which include but are not limited to the Atlanta, DeKalb and Gate City Bar Associations and DeKalb Lawyers Association. She is a past chair of the State Bar of Georgia’s Judicial Section, past president of the Georgia Council of Municipal Court Judges and served on the State’s Judicial Council on two separate occasions.

Connecting the courts with the community, Judge Jackson volunteers with numerous organizations. She also is an invited speaker to present on various judicial and legal issues at seminars and trainings as well as at various schools and community events.

As a testament to her accomplishments, Judge Jackson has received several honors and been featured in several newspapers and magazines.