First Female Cobb County Judge To Retire After 40 Years; Kemp To Appoint Successor

COBB COUNTY, GA — Cobb County Superior Court Judge Mary Staley Clark, who's served as a Cobb County judge for 40 years, announced her last day will be May 1.

Clark was elected to the Magistrate Court bench in 1982, then to Divison I of State Court in 1984. She joined the Superior Court bench in 1992, where she's been ever since — and was elected without opposition to every position she's ever held, according to a news release.

"It will take time to adjust to not being on the bench every day. Of course, I'll continue to help as a senior judge, but I am looking forward to getting married this spring and being able to spend more time with my parents and family," Clark said in the release.

Clark, an advocate and pioneer of accountability courts, helped create Cobb County's Mental Health Court in 2013, and now presides over Cobb's Drug Treatment Court. She has practiced law since 1978, when she earned her juris doctorate at the University of Georgia.

The longtime judge was the first female initially elected to any judgeship in Cobb County. She's presided some of the county's most difficult cases, including the controversial hot car death case with Cobb County father Justin Ross Harris.

Senior Judge Stephen Schuster lauded her as "one of the original women to break through the glass ceiling and achieve a Superior Court judgeship."

Throughout her tenure, Clark did more than just serve in the courtroom — she was a member of the 1996 Class of Leadership Georgia, and she co-authored a volume of "Georgia Jurisprudence" on family law.

She also served as president of both the Kiwanis Club of Marietta and the Council of Superior Court Judges of Georgia from 2014-15, which sets rules for the hundreds of judges that sit in the state's 50 judicial circuits.

"She has been a leader in promoting accountability courts," Schuster said. "Judge Staley Clark realized there was a better way to treat those with illness than incarceration. She saved many lives and returned many in our population to be good citizens."

Chief Judge Robert Leonard called her irreplaceable.

"As Chief Judge, I've relied upon her wisdom and depth of experience on many occasions. She will certainly be missed by everyone, and I look forward to her joining our group of distinguished Senior Judges following her appointment by the governor," Leonard said.

Clark said she's looking forward to joining her fiancé and soon-to-be husband, Chuck Perry, at his ranch and vineyard in Rockmart, according to the release. She added that she also plans to spend more time with her parents.

"My parents raised me to be honest, work hard, study hard, and be kind and courageous. They put me on the path I've been so blessed to travel these 40 years," Clark said. "And, of course, my late husband, Chuck Clark, was a great source of strength, love and support."

Gov. Brian Kemp will appoint Clark's successor to serve the remainder of her term, which runs through 2024.

"I am thankful for so much. I am thankful for the vision and courage Tom Charron showed me in hiring female prosecutors for the first time in the office's history, and I am thankful that the Mental Health Court and Drug Treatment Court helped people live better lives.

"And I am thankful for the wonderful Cobb community that gave me the privilege to serve as a judge and administer justice these many years. Cobb is a wonderful place with the best bench in Georgia," Clark said.