Pandora Palmer has hit the ground running in her first month as Henry County’s newest State Court judge.

  She was sworn in January 7 by Gov. Nathan Deal, one of his final three appointments before the end of his second term. She replaced Jim Chafin, who retired after 16 years on the bench. The first female judge to serve on the State Court in Henry County, she interviewed with Deal December 5 and learned of her appointment the next day.

  One day after the swearing-in ceremony, she was on the bench. The docket included a morning filled with probation revocation hearings, followed by a civil calendar in the afternoon. A week later she presided over her first jury trial.

  The volume of cases in State Court would probably surprise most people, she said, but the heavy workload has been a great experience so far.

  “I’m really enjoying it,” she said. “It’s interesting to see everything from the other side of the bench.”

  Palmer has a quarter-century of legal experience, having joined the Georgia bar in 1994. She spent nine years at the McDonough firm of Smith, Welch, Webb & White before opening her own practice in 2012. She has lived in Henry County 16 years. Married for 11 years, she has a grown daughter and a grown stepson. She and her husband Keith also have three “fur babies,” and she is passionate about rescue dogs.

  Now one of four State Court judges in Henry County, Palmer is keenly aware of the unique nature of the court which handles only misdemeanors (all felonies go to Superior Court). Most of the defendants who will appear before her are still at a stage of life where they can get back on the straight-and-narrow more easily than those with more serious criminal records.

  “I had so many people ask me why I would want to do this since I had a successful law practice,” she said. “I told them I really feel like I’m called to do something else. I think, at this point, it’s a way to really help people.”

  Her new position will pave the way for her to work extensively with the county’s Mental Health Court, which she credited her predecessor with establishing. She also hopes to assist with the DUI Court sometime in the future.

  Palmer continues to be active in a local Kiwanis group and recently joined the board of Hands of Hope Clinic. She looks forward to combining her new legal responsibilities and her civic involvement as the county continues to take shape for the future.   “I’ve had Judge Chafin, who is a great mentor, and now I have Judge Studdard [Ben Studdard, the most senior member of the court] right down the hall,” she said. “I’ve been blessed.”