It's been two years since DeKalb County State Court Judge Ana Maria Martinez made history by becoming Georgia's first Latina jurist to serve in a court of record.

But following her appointment by Gov. Brian Kemp in January 2022, Martinez has yet to take her foot off the proverbial pedal.

Now Martinez is sharing with the Daily Report why she's committed to improving access to justice and supporting a pipeline for aspiring minority attorneys—efforts that have earned her top honors from her cohort of judicial peers.

'In Their Own Language'

Martinez, who ran a successful retention campaign in May, presides over the only fully bilingual DUI Court in Georgia. As for her motivation for continuing to operate the English-Spanish court, the jurist highlights the role her predecessors played in its creation.

"I was very lucky to follow in the footsteps of Judge [Dax] Lopez and Judge [Tony] DelCampo. They did a tremendous job setting up and running the Spanish DUI Court before me, and I knew I couldn’t let the program disappear," Martinez told the Daily Report Wednesday. "The impact the Spanish DUI Court has by reaching participants in their own language and by tapping into their culture to ensure recovery and rehabilitation is immense, and the number of lives we change through finding the recovery of each participant makes it all worth it. Ultimately, DeKalb County is one of the most diverse counties in the nation, and it benefits us all to have safer roads and more productive citizens."

Albeit "very proud" of the state court's ability to offer the bilingual program, Martinez said she looked forward to the day that similar programs became "accessible to people throughout the state in their own language."

"Having a diverse judiciary is important because we have a diverse state," Martinez said. "[W]e all benefit from having programs that meet people where they are."

But Martinez's efforts to improve access to justice don't stop with prospective litigants. The jurist's foresight also includes the need to support the next generation of lawyers needed to aid constituents during their legal time of need.

'Being Intentional'

Alongside Kilpatrick Townsend partner Adria Perez and now retired Troutman Pepper partner Mark Newman, Martinez co-founded the Georgia Latino Law Foundation to support a rising Latino legal community. Created in partnership with the Georgia Hispanic Bar Association, the foundation aims, in part, to "increase the Latino community's access to the legal system by educating and empowering Latinos to join the legal profession."

As part of its mission to increase "diversity in the legal profession by supporting the Latino legal community pipeline," the organization provides "pre-law education, mentoring, and substantive legal experience opportunities." In addition to hosting student Law Day events, the foundation operates a Leadership Academy and Mentoring Program, as well as a Judicial Internship Program, all of which can be accessed through a membership offered for free to law students.

"Between my own experiences and conversations with lawyers and law students, I saw a huge need for our community to be intentional in supporting and encouraging Latino/a law students and young lawyers, as well as those who have an interest in the legal profession," Martinez said. "Statistically, we are overwhelmingly underrepresented, and the more connections and opportunities we can provide minority lawyers, the more those individuals are going to choose to stay in Georgia and the more our bar is going to reflect the populations in which we live."


Beyond ensuring Latinos in the legal profession are involved in civic engagement and leadership, Martinez said the foundation aid its members in accomplishing individual professional goals. Martinez honed in on the importance of inclusive leadership, noting "a high tide rises all ships."

"[B]y being intentional we are not leaving the success of our communities to chance," Martinez said. "Our profession is one of relationships, and the foundation has allowed us to create strong support networks and engage young lawyers to become involved. I love seeing former GLLF students taking charge of programs and excelling professionally and personally, and it always warms my heart when I hear them attribute some of their success to the support of the GLLF."

'Perfect Choice'

Martinez's tangible efforts to improve access to justice and legal diversity haven't gone unnoticed by her judicial peers.

Georgia's Council of State Court Judges awarded Martinez with its highest honor, the Ogden Doremus—Kent Lawrence Award. The award, which is presented annually at the council's fall meeting, recognizes a jurist's judicial ethics, professionalism on the bench and community involvement.

Council President and Bibb County State Court Chief Judge Jeffrey B. Hanson and Henry County State Court Judge Ralph Bailey Jr. presented Martinez with the honor on Oct. 16. At the time, Hanson called Martinez the "perfect choice for this award."

"She embodies everything it represents," Hanson said. "I'm particularly excited that, having only been on the bench for a couple of years, she also represents our future."

For Martinez, the honor came as a pleasant surprise.

"I work alongside some wonderful judges who teach me and mentor me every day and I never expected to receive this award," Martinez said. "The list of past recipients is incredible, and I am so humbled to have my name next to theirs."

Martinez said she considered the recognition to be "a testament of the work" of mentors who'd supported her by answering phone calls, offering encouragement and remaining patient with her "million questions and ideas."

Following the award presentation, Martinez revealed on social media that the recognition had rendered her "wholly speechless."

"I find myself now staring at this incredible award, still at a loss for words, feeling so incredibly humbled and honored for this recognition. You see, the Ogden Doremus—Kent Lawrence Award is the Council’s highest honor, and it is awarded to a judge who demonstrates high standards of judicial ethics, professionalism, and community involvement. And somehow, they chose me. And words just fail me," Martinez wrote in a Facebook post on Oct. 17. "Being a judge is a labor of love, and I feel like the luckiest human serving the citizens of DeKalb County every day."

While the acknowledgement from her judicial peers affirmed that Martinez is succeeding in her efforts to positively impact Georgia's judiciary and the public's access to and perception of it, the jurist shared that her legal objectives don't stop there.

In addition to remaining focused on "doing the best job" she can as "a state court judge, a mom, and a mentor to many law students and young lawyers," Martinez highlighted another goal she's working toward in legal leadership as the current chair of the Access to Justice Committee of the State Bar.

"[M]y immediate goal is to shine a light on the many pro bono opportunities in Georgia and to develop a comprehensive study of the state of pro bono participation in Georgia," Martinez said. 

Having personally benefited from the power of mentorship, the jurist also encouraged others in the legal industry to "make mentoring and championing personal and intentional."

"It matters more than you know," Martinez said.