Judge D. Jay Stewart, Superior Court Judge of the Atlantic Judicial Circuit, having served as the First District Administrative Judge since July 2022, has been re-elected by the Superior Court judges of the First Judicial District, which includes the Atlantic, Brunswick, Eastern, Ogeechee, and Waycross circuits, to serve a second term as administrative judge for the First Judicial District.

Judge Stewart, while carrying a full court docket across six counties of the Atlantic Judicial Circuit, has tirelessly served as the district representative for the past two years with dedication and distinction as evident by his unanimous appointment by all Superior Court judges of the district to serve a second term. The judges of each of the 10 judicial administrative districts select an administrative judge who is responsible for executing the district’s administrative duties. These administrative tasks include the duty to assign judges to specific cases, to obtain information from the other courts of record within the district, to authorize judges from other courts to assist within the district when needed, and to develop personnel and budgetary policies.

The 10 administrative judges also represent their districts as members of the Executive Committee of the Council of Superior Court Judges and as members of the Judicial Council, a separate organization composed of members of all classes of court and chaired by the chief justice of the Supreme Court.

While many responsibilities of the administrative judge are focused on managing the individual districts, the scope of their administrative duties extends to activities affecting the judicial branch not specifically assigned to another agency.