Elect Juvenile Court JUDGE LISA JONES as Superior Court Judge
HARD WORK AND EXPERIENCE MATTER
Meet Judge Lisa Jones
With a legal career spanning more than three decades, I have built my career on steady leadership and a deep commitment to justice. It has been my pleasure to serve the people of the six counties (Lee, Macon, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, and Webster) of the Southwestern Judicial Circuit with integrity, fairness, and an unwavering work ethic for the past 28 years.
I served as an Assistant District Attorney from 1998 to 2001 for the Southwestern Judicial Circuit. Due to my successful felony prosecutions across the six counties of the Circuit, I was unanimously appointed by the Superior Court Judges of the Circuit as the Juvenile Court Judge in 2001. I have served as the Southwestern Judicial Circuit’s Juvenile Court Judge for 25 years (2001–present), and I am honored to be the sole circuit‑wide Juvenile Court Judge, unanimously appointed to seven consecutive terms. In this role, I work every day to ensure that children are safe, families are supported, and the law is applied with fairness and compassion. Since 2001, due to the confidence of the Superior Court Judges in my ability to handle Superior Court matters, I have served as a Superior Court Judge by Special Designation, presiding over a wide range of complex Superior Court matters across the Circuit.
As a reflection of my strong work ethic and dedication to the law, I have an outstanding appellate record which has protected the rights of the citizens of the Circuit and maintained my obligation to the taxpayers. A superb appellate record is important as it instills confidence in the judicial system and protects our taxpayers from having to pay unnecessary legal fees related to appeals. A smooth-running judicial system also protects the taxpayers from having to pay unnecessary incarceration costs.
It has been my honor to maintain leadership roles across the State during my career. I was privileged to serve as Treasurer (2016-2017), Secretary (2017-2018), Vice-President (2018-2019), President-Elect (2019-2020) and then President of the Georgia Council of Juvenile Court Judges (2020–2021). Prior to my terms on the Executive Committee of the Georgia Council of Juvenile Court Judges, I was also elected as the Third Judicial District Representative. The Third Judicial District includes Bibb, Chattahoochee, Harris, Houston, Lee, Macon, Marion, Muscogee, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor and Webster Counties. I was a member of the 2008 Leadership Georgia Class. I have served on the Georgia Child Advocate Advisory Committee and the Georgia Supreme Court’s Committee on Justice for Children and continue to serve on the State of Georgia’s Commission on Child Support.
From day one when I became a judge, I believed it was my duty to make this Circuit, our home, a better place, and I have done so. I created and spearheaded important programs to benefit the families of our Circuit: the Public Defender Program for our Circuit’s juveniles, the SOWEGA Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Program, the Judicial Citizens Panel Review Program which monitors the care our Circuit’s foster children receive, the Lighthouse Child Advocacy Center, the Youth Home on Elm, and the Truancy Prevention Program which has greatly improved our school attendance rates.
I graduated from high school in 1987 and was a cum laude graduate of Florida State University in 1990. I then graduated from Mercer University School of Law in May 1993, immediately passed the Georgia bar exam, and became a member of the State Bar of Georgia in July 1993. While at Mercer Law school, I was elected as Student Government Second Year Class Representative and Representative to the American Bar Association.
My roots in this Circuit run deep. I was raised in Macon County in the Lutheran Church by my parents, Chip Coogle and Connie Rea, who instilled in me the values of service, humility, and community that continue to guide my work today.
Above all, I am the proud mother of Morgan Jones Bass (Cleve Bass) and Madeline Jones, and the grandmother of Childree Bass— roles that bring me tremendous joy and keep me grounded in the community I love.
I hope this information has let you know a little more about me and what I am about. I have lived my life with a deep devotion to the law and the people I have been honored to serve.
