Judge James F. Bass: Biography & Judicial Service | KnowJudges

# James F. Bass
Senior Judge · [Chatham County Superior Court](/kyj/court/ga/chatham-county-superior-court)

## Judicial assignments
[Eastern Judicial Circuit](/kyj/court/ga/eastern-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/5ffdbd2c921e14001b0e1194/) · [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.

## James F. Bass at a glance
Current roleSenior Judge
Court[Chatham County Superior Court](/kyj/court/ga/chatham-county-superior-court)
Current assignment[Chatham County Superior Court](/kyj/court/ga/chatham-county-superior-court)
JurisdictionGeorgia · State
Judicial serviceActive

## Biography

### Professional career

- James F. Bass, Jr. is a retired senior judge of the Chatham County Superior Court in Georgia, appointed in 1995 and retired in 2020, known for pioneering the county’s first Accountability Court and the Savannah–Chatham County Drug Court
- As of now, Judge Bass is listed among the Senior Judges of the Chatham County Superior Court, continuing to contribute to specialized court programs

### Education



### Additional information

- Served until the end of his term in 2020, after which he became a senior judge.
- He has held leadership roles in the Council of Superior Court Judges, including chairing the Access to Justice and Fairness in the Courts committee (2000–2008) and the Georgia State Commission on Family Violence (2006–2009)
- James F. Bass, Jr. joined the Chatham County Superior Court bench by former Georgia Governor Zell B. Miller on May 18, 1995.
- Before his judicial appointment, Bass was Supervising Attorney for the Savannah Regional Office of the Georgia Legal Services Program.
- This program was recognized as a National Mentor Drug Court by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals and the National Drug Court Institute, and was later designated a Model Court by the Georgia Council of Accountability Court Judges.
- He also held the role of program coordinator for the Drug Court and was involved in other specialized courts, including Adult Mental Health Court and Veterans Treatment Court

## 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/5ffdbd2c921e14001b0e1194/)

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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.