Mr. Frank Wood was appointed Chief Assistant District Attorney of the Appalachian Judicial Circuit by District Attorney B. Alison Sosebee. He was sworn-in to this position by Chief Superior Court Judge Brenda S. Weaver. Frank has faithfully served as an Assistant District Attorney in this Circuit for over the past seven years. He will assist throughout the Circuit in Pickens, Gilmer, and Fannin counties. We are confident that Frank will approach the duties of this appointment with the same dedication and work ethic that he has shown during his tenure with the District Attorney's office. As a side note:  In addition to the ACTUAL oath Frank was given, he was given another one - the OATH TO BE A GEORGIA BULLDOG! For the die-hard Tennessee Vols fan that Frank is, he couldn't quite [...]

The Appalachian Judicial Circuit’s Mental Health Court was recently named a model court by Georgia’s Council of Accountability Court Judges. As a model court, the Appalachian Judicial Circuit’s Mental Health Court will serve as a resource to ...

On July 29, 2020, Fannin County Superior Court Clerk Dana Chastain received the 2019 Stetson F. Bennett Superior Court Clerk of the Year Award. The award is given by the Superior Court Clerks Association of Georgia in recognition of outstanding leadership and dedication.

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and Chief Superior Court Judge Brenda S. Weaver Congratulations to Chief Superior Court Judge Brenda S. Weaver for being awarded the STAR award at the Council of Accountability Court Judges Conference today. The STAR awards recognize those that go above and beyond for their courts. This award is only given to one judge in the state each year. Judge Weaver presides over both the Veterans Court and the Drug Court. Judge Weaver is pictured with retired Judge Tommy Wilcox, who started the first-ever accountability court in Georgia in Bibb County in 1994.

Read Scott Michaux’s article in UGA Research about Chief Superior Court Judge Brenda S. Weaver and […]

In 2018, Judge Weaver served as President of the Council of Accountability Court Judges and presented Governor Nathan Deal with a photo book entitled, "An Accountability Court Legacy," to say thank you for his ongoing support of accountability courts.

Lynn Bishop is the recipient of the 2018 Star Award for Treatment Provider. This honorable recognition considers nominations for Treatment Providers from all the accountability courts in the State. Additionally, in 2016, she was awarded the […]

The Honorable Judge Worcester was awarded the honor of National Court Appointed Special Advocates Judge of the Year at their annual conference in Seattle, Washington on March 13, 2017. Judge Worcester promotes and participates in CASA functions in his judicial circuit and on the state and national levels. He believes in CASA’s mission and its values. Those attributes were recognized by the National CASA Board of Directors and Selection Committee in choosing him for this honor. […]

Larry Clemmons and Judge Deal Pops. The Old Man. The Godfather. These are some of the names that have been used to describe Larry Clemmons, one of the backbones of the Appalachian Judicial Circuit’s Accountability Courts for the last 13 years. When Judge Brenda Weaver decided to start a drug court in the circuit in 2003, the idea was not popular. Knowing that Larry had, over his 20 plus years in law enforcement, fostered relationships with almost every law enforcement officer, prosecutor, and defense attorney in the circuit, Judge Weaver reached out Larry for help. Larry reached out to a treatment provider that had been doing work for the circuit. They met in a local Waffle House for coffee and the Appalachian Circuit’s Drug Court program was born. Fast forward to 2016. The circuit now has a [...]