---
title: "Ben Makin | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ben-makin-ga-magistrate-58af01ddce9168f520c4d00f"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-08-25"
---

# Ben Makin

Clarke County Magistrate Court · Judge

## Profile

- Court: Clarke County Magistrate Court
- State: Georgia
- Role: Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-08-25

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Before you appear

- Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.
- Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.
- Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

## Courtroom Rules

### electronic devices and recording

Scope: statewide

Georgia's class-specific Uniform Court Rules govern electronic devices and recording in state trial courts. Before using recording, photography, livestreaming, or similar courtroom technology, confirm the governing rule and the assigned court's procedure.

Evidence excerpt: Uniform Superior, Juvenile, Magistrate, Municipal and Probate Court Rules

[Supreme Court of Georgia, court orders amending Uniform Trial Court Rules](https://www.gasupreme.us/rules/amendments-to-rules)
Source checked: 2026-07-26


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://georgiacourts.knack.com/gcd2/#directory-entries/entry-details/58af01ddce9168f520c4d00f/)
- [Official roster](https://georgiacourts.knack.com/gcd2/#directory-entries/entry-details/58af01ddce9168f520c4d00f/)
- [Supreme Court of Georgia, court orders amending Uniform Trial Court Rules](https://www.gasupreme.us/rules/amendments-to-rules)
- [Judicial Council of Georgia Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster](https://georgiacourts.knack.com/gcd2/#directory-entries/entry-details/58af01ddce9168f520c4d00f/)

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## Biography

### Professional career

- Benjamin R. Makin is the Chief Magistrate Judge of the Athens‐Clarke County Magistrate Court in Georgia, appointed in 2012 and serving as Chief Judge since 2022
- Elected to a full term as Chief Magistrate Judge in 2024 Athens-Clarke County, GA
- Named Chief Judge by the Superior Court Judges of the Western Circuit on January 1, 2022
- Chief Magistrate Judge, Magistrate Court, Athens‐Clarke County, GA
- Attorney for the Western Circuit Public Defender’s Office

### Education

- in English Literature — Oklahoma State University — B.A.
- University of Georgia School of Law — J.D.

### Additional information

- Volunteer of the Year (Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School, 2018) Athens-Clarke County, GA
- Appointed to the Magistrate Court in February 2012
- Recipient of the University of Georgia School of Law’s Shelley D. Knox Equal Justice Award (2004) Athens-Clarke County, GA
- President of the Western Circuit Bar Association Athens-Clarke County, GA
- Court Duties: Oversees magistrate court operations, presides over cases, and serves as assistant judge to State Court Judge Charles Auslander in the DUI Drug Court
- Member of Clarke County School District Local School Governance Team Athens-Clarke County, GA
- Former Board President of Athens Nurses Clinic Athens-Clarke County, GA
- Family: Married to Mandy; two sons Athens-Clarke County, GA
- Interests: Disc golf, movies, music, reading, and family time Athens-Clarke County, GA



## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [Georgia Magistrate Court Rule 15 — virtual proceedings](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-92c085addd8bb83007e0ba04) — Georgia Magistrate Courts only. Virtual proceedings; consent, exceptions and judicial orders control. Dated 2023 source, later amendments not exhaustively certified. [Official source](https://www.gasupreme.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Order-approving-Magistrate-videoconferencing-rules_entered.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.