Leah Ward Sears

Justice Leah Ward Sears is an appellate litigator who specializes in high-stakes cases. She has some experience in the field, as she most recently served as Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young first appointed her to serve as a judge in city traffic court in 1985, but quickly rose through the ranks to become a Superior Court judge in 1988 and a Supreme Court Justice in 1992. She was the first African-American woman to serve as a Superior Court judge, and the first woman and youngest person to serve on the Supreme Court. In 2004, she was re-elected to the Court, and became Chief Justice in 2005.