The Magistrate Court is composed of five (5) judges. Two judges are full-time and are elected by the people of Chatham County and serve four (4) year terms. Two judges are appointed as part-time Magistrates and are appointed by the Chief Magistrate to serve at the discretion of the Chief Magistrate and their terms run concurrent with the term of the Chief Magistrate. One judge is appointed as a Senior Magistrate and is appointed by the Chief Magistrate to serve at his/her discretion and whose term runs concurrent with the term of the Chief Magistrate. The Chief Magistrate shall assign cases among the several Magistrates of the county and shall decide any disputes between the Magistrates of the county.
Chief Magistrate Mary Kathryn Moss
Mary Kathryn Moss was sworn in as the Chief Magistrate of Chatham County on January 4, 2005 and re-elected in November of 2008. Prior to that position, Judge Moss was a partner in the law firm of Ranitz, Mahoney, Mahoney & Moss, P.C. specializing in civil litigation, real estate and admiralty law. While practicing law, she also sat as Judge Pro tem for the Recorder's Court of Chatham County and the Municipal Courts of Port Wentworth and Garden City. Following law school, Judge Moss served as a law clerk to the Honorable William T. Moore, Jr., Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia.
Judge Moss serves as the Second Vice-President of the Council of Magistrate Court Judges. She served as the First District Representative to the Council of Magistrate Court Judges for 5 years and is a member of the Executive Committee, Legislative Committee, and Mentor Committee of the Magistrate Court Council. She also serves as a member of the Magistrate Court Training Council. She was appointed to the Board of Commissioners of the Magistrates Retirement Fund of Georgia by Governor Perdue in 2006. Judge Moss is a member of the Georgia Bar Association, the Georgia Association of Women Lawyers, the Savannah Bar Association, and the American Judges Association.
Judge Moss graduated from St. Vincent's Academy. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a BA in Political Science and minor in Religion. In 1994, Judge Moss graduated from Tulane University School of Law cum laude with a Certificate in Admiralty.
Judge Moss serves on the several local boards and is involved in numerous civic organizations.
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Magistrate Michael H. Barker
A lifelong resident of Savannah, Judge Barker was educated in the Chatham County public school system, graduating with honors from Jenkins High School in 1980. He graduated from Armstrong State College in 1984 with a Bachelor of Arts in History (cum laude) and earned his Juris Doctor from Georgia State University in 1987.
After practicing with the firm of Jones, Bordeaux & Associates, Judge Barker accepted a position as staff attorney to Superior Court Judge James W. Head. Upon Judge Head's retirement, he continued working in the public sector serving as staff attorney to Judge James F. Bass, Jr. until his appointment to the Magistrate Court bench on December 1, 2003. Judge Barker was elected to a full term of office effective January 1, 2005.
Judge Barker has served and continues to serve on the Board of Directors of several non-profit community organizations. He and his wife Christy Sieger Barker have two children: Nicholas and Natalie. They are members of St. Peter the Apostle Church.
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Magistrate Bonzo C. Reddick
Judge Reddick was born in Rockingham, North Carolina to the late Bonzo and Josephine Reddick. He was educated in the public school system of Richmond County, North Carolina. After completing high school in 1964, he matriculated at Johnson C. Smith University where he received a B.A. Degree in Psychology in May 1968. Following his graduation, he served as a teacher of Special Education as Michael C. Riley High School for two years. He later served as assistant principal at H.E. McCracken High School in Bluffton, South Carolina.
Judge Reddick pursued a Masters Degree in Secondary School Administration at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, North Carolina before enrolling at John Marshall Law School of Atlanta at the Savannah, Georgia Branch. He received his LLB Degree in 1975 and was admitted to the Bar during the same year.
Judge Reddick has been practicing law in Savannah since 1975. He specializes in Real Estate Sales and Financing, Probate and Bankruptcies. He has also served as a part-time Judge of the Magistrate Court of Chatham County from July 1987 to the present. He has served as Superior Court representative of the Tripartite Committee overseeing Indigent Defense in Chatham County. He also serves on the Board of Directors of numerous non-profit community organizations.
At present, Judge Reddick is an active member of the St. John Baptist Church where he faithfully serves as a Bible study teacher, a Sunday school teacher and the Assistant Chairman of the Trustee board. Bonzo and his wife Betty Higgins Reddick have three children: Tandi H, Nsilo K. and Bonzo K.
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Magistrate Timothy R. Walmsley
Judge Walmsley is a former General Counsel to the Chatham County Board of Tax Assessors and is currently a Partner at the Savannah law firm Hunter, Maclean, Exley & Dunn, P.C. His private practice focuses primarily on commercial real estate development and related litigation. He also assists the firm's clients in environmental matters and on issues associated with the ad valorem taxation of real and personal property. Walmsley has represented individuals and corporations in real estate transactions and litigation throughout the State of Georgia and has extensive courtroom experience in his practice area.
Judge Walmsley received his J.D. with honors along with a Certificate in Environmental Law in 1996 from the Tulane University School of Law and received a B.S. in Environmental Studies in 1991 from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Prior to law school he worked as an environmental consultant with a firm based in Washington, D.C. where he conducted extensive site work and investigation on a variety of environmental issues.
Judge Walmsley is presently associated with numerous professional organizations and is actively involved in the Savannah community. He was named one of The Savannah Business Report and Journal's "40 under 40" notable Savannahians for 2004 and named a "Rising Star" of the Georgia Bar by Law & Politics and The Atlanta Magazine on three occasions. He is also a graduate of Leadership Savannah.
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Senior Magistrate Robert E. Barker
Judge Robert E. Barker was admitted to the practice of law in 1951. Before taking the bench he engaged in the general practice of law for 43 years, handling civil, criminal, domestic and probate matters. During this time he also worked in the Chatham County District Attorney's office for 13 years, serving as chief assistant.
Judge Barker took the Magistrate Court bench in 1994. He was the first Magistrate Court Judge to stand for re-election, and was unopposed during each election cycle. He retired from the bench in 2003, having served for 10 years. He was appointed Senior Magistrate in 2007 and continues to serve the citizens of Chatham County.
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