Mary Elizabeth Priest

Mary Elizabeth Priest is an incumbent Superior Court Judge for the Georgia 9th Superior Court District Appalachian Circuit, seeking re-election in the May 19, 2026, general election. Appointed to the bench in 2016 by Governor Nathan Deal, she currently serves as a chief superior court judge. A resident of Ellijay for 30 years, where she lives with her husband and two children, Priest earned a bachelor's degree from North Georgia College & State University and a law degree from Georgia State University College of Law. She previously worked as an associate attorney and now oversees criminal felonies, estates, evictions, and divorce cases. As an adopted child born into foster care, she advocates for foster and adopted children and initiated a high school mock trial team. She emphasizes efficiency, impartiality, fairness, and building community ties with the court system.