Atlanta, Feb. 8, 2017 – Superior Court Chief Judge Jackson Harris of the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit in Canton, GA has been designated to serve in place of Justice Michael P. Boggs in the appeal of PLIVA, Inc., et al. v. Dement et al. (S16G0685). The Supreme Court of Georgia will hear arguments in the case on Monday, Feb. 13, 2017 during its afternoon session. In this Fulton County case, a number of drug manufacturers, as well as companies that author drug education materials, are appealing a Georgia Court of Appeals decision that allows a lawsuit against them to go forward. In addition to hearing arguments, Judge Harris will participate in the Court’s decision.
Judge Harris, 60, was appointed to the Superior Court by then-Gov. Roy Barnes in 2001. He was then elected in 2002 and re-elected three more times, becoming Chief Judge in 2013. Prior to becoming a Superior Court Judge, he served four and a half years as the first full-time Juvenile Court Judge for the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit.
Judge Harris began his legal career as a judicial assistant to Court of Appeals Judge Marion T. Pope, Jr. in 1981. He was in private practice in Cherokee County and northern Georgia from 1983 through 1996.
Judge Harris has participated in jury trials of every kind including capital felony cases, divorce, eminent domain, negligence, and title to land cases, as well as business disputes. While in private practice, he represented clients before all levels of Georgia and federal Courts.
Judge Harris has been a teacher for the University of Georgia Institute for Continuing Legal Education, instructing lawyers and judges on a range of topics. He has served on several commissions, including the Information Systems Committee of both of the State Councils of the Juvenile Courts and Superior Courts of Georgia, the Georgia Courts Automation Commission, and the Supreme Court Special Committee on Technology. He has been recognized for his work on statewide court technology initiatives.
Judge Harris, a native of Cherokee County, has served on various boards and in community organizations for more than 40 years. He is a graduate of Emory University (B.A. 1978) and the Mercer University School of Law (J.D.1981). He has completed course work at the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the National Judicial College. Chief Judge Harris is married to Anne Curtis Harris and they have two adult children.
(Designated judges are appointed when a justice must recuse himself or herself from a particular case. The Supreme Court of Georgia maintains a list of judges from around the state and when the need arises, the Court appoints the next judge on the list.)