Judge Howard Z. Simms: Biography & Judicial Service | KnowJudges

# Howard Z. Simms
Senior Judge · [Bibb County Superior Court](/kyj/court/ga/bibb-county-superior-court)

## Judicial assignments
[Macon Judicial Circuit](/kyj/court/ga/macon-judicial-circuit)Senior Judge — circuit affiliation; court class unconfirmedThe official Senior Judges directory lists this circuit affiliation. A specific current assignment is not established. Senior judge available for assignment; this does not establish a current primary assignment.
Source checked October 15, 2026. [Roster source 1](https://georgiacourts.knack.com/gcd2/#home/directory-entries/58af0239ce9168f520c4dc8c/) · [Roster source 2](https://us-api.knack.com/v1/pages/scene_1/views/view_5/records?rows_per_page=1000&page=1&filters=%7B%22match%22%3A+%22and%22%2C+%22rules%22%3A+%5B%7B%22field%22%3A+%22field_19%22%2C+%22operator%22%3A+%22is%22%2C+%22value%22%3A+%22Senior+Judges%22%7D%5D%7D)
These published assignments do not certify a complete bench.

## Howard Z. Simms at a glance
Current roleSenior Judge
Court[Bibb County Superior Court](/kyj/court/ga/bibb-county-superior-court)
Current assignment[Bibb County Superior Court](/kyj/court/ga/bibb-county-superior-court)
JurisdictionGeorgia · State
Judicial serviceActive

## Biography

### Professional career

- The Chief Judge of the Macon Judicial Circuit Superior Court in Georgia from 2010 until his retirement in August 2023

### Education


### Additional information

- Simms was elected to the Macon Judicial Circuit bench in 2010 and re‐elected in 2014 and 2018.
- One of his early high‐profile cases was the 1993 Teresa Fargason trial, which drew massive public attention and showcased his prosecutorial skill.
- In that role, he prosecuted felony cases, juvenile offenses, narcotics, gang crimes, and violent crimes, and later led the office’s appellate division
- overseeing the Macon‐Bibb, Crawford, and Peach County circuits.
- Before joining the court, he had a 37‐year career in the Macon Judicial Circuit’s District Attorney’s Office — 12 years as an assistant DA and 9 years as District Attorney.
- He held the role of Chief Judge for 13 years

## Sources

Identity source checked August 25, 2026.
01
### Georgia Courts Directory
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 25, 2026
[View Georgia Courts Directory ↗](https://georgiacourts.knack.com/gcd2/#directory-entries/entry-details/58af0239ce9168f520c4dc8c/)

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## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [Uniform Superior Court Rules](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-815bee855bfd141a25d75d36) — Superior Court proceedings. Collected April 9, 2026 compilation; amendments effective November 5, 2026 are future on this collection date and are not applied. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://assets.georgiacourts.gov/4/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/14025702/UNIFORM-SUPERIOR-COURT-RULES-2026_04_09.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.