Special to The Gazette

Larry B. Mims, Judge of the State Court of Tift County, was elected to serve as President of the Council of State Court Judges at its annual meeting held in Athens last Wednesday.  As president, Mims will also be a member of the Judicial Council which is the governing body of the state-wide Judicial Branch of Georgia.

Mims said, “When 130 of your peers ask you to serve, it is an honor.  I deeply appreciate it and accept this honor on behalf of the people of Tift County. Without their faith and support, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to serve.  I will continue to be an ambassador for my home county, and to represent all state courts to the best of my ability.”

State Courts have county-wide jurisdiction in 70 counties in Georgia. For the past three years, there were more than one million cases filed in all 70 State Courts, making them the busiest courts of record in Georgia. State Courts have jurisdiction over misdemeanor criminal cases, including traffic cases and all civil cases, except domestic relations and equity cases.

The Council of State Court Judges of Georgia is made up of more than 130 state court judges throughout the state.  As president, Judge Mims will be presiding over the Executive Committee and will lead the Council in finding ways to fulfill its mission to further the improvement of the state court and the quality and expertise of its judges, to maintain the impartiality of the judiciary and to ensure the fair and efficient administration of justice.  

The other newly elected officers of the Executive Committee are President-Elect David P. Darden (Cobb County); secretary, Linda S. Cowen (Clayton County); treasurer,    Charles S. Wynne (Hall County); immediate past president, J. William “Bill” Bass Sr. (Grady County); District 1, Chair, Leon M. Braun Jr. (Liberty County); District 2 Chair,        J. Kelly Brooks (Charlton County); District 3 Chair, Richard T. Kent (Colquitt County); District 4 Chair,        Neal Dettmering (Douglas County); District 5 Chair, Richard A. Slaby (Richmond County); District 6 Chair, Ethelyn Simpson (Clarke County); District 7 Chair,            Wayne M. Purdom (DeKalb County); and District 8 Chair, T. Russell McClelland (Forsyth County).    

Mims and his wife, Joyce, have two children, MJ and San, and one grandson, Reuben.