Legal professionals throughout west Georgia are preparing for a shift in judicial operations as time ticks down to the division of the Coweta Judicial Circuit on Jan. 1, 2025.

Thanks to a boom in population and legal caseloads, Carroll and Heard County superior court matters will be serviced by the new West Georgia Judicial Circuit, as outlined by legislation enacted in May. While existing Coweta, Meriwether and Troup county superior court matters will continue to be serviced by the Coweta Judicial Circuit, only half of its eight-jurist bench will remain with the circuit.

'Time to Focus on Cases'

L-R: from top left (clockwise): Chief Judge John T. Simpson, Judge Dennis Blackmon, Judge Erica Tisinger, and Judge Dustin Hightower of West Georgia Judicial Circuit. Courtesy photos

Lawyers appearing for matters in the state's 51st judicial circuit can expect to encounter Chief Judge John Simpson, Judges Dennis T. Blackmon, Dustin W. Hightower or Erica Tisinger on the new West Georgia Judicial Circuit bench, according to the legislation. The jurists' terms are set to expire Dec. 31, 2026.