Judge John M. Ott: Biography & Judicial Service | KnowJudges

# John M. Ott
Senior Judge · [Newton County Superior Court](/kyj/court/ga/newton-county-superior-court)

## Judicial assignments
[Alcovy Judicial Circuit](/kyj/court/ga/alcovy-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/63c026a673fcce0011b7b294/) · [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.

## John M. Ott at a glance
Current roleSenior Judge
Court[Newton County Superior Court](/kyj/court/ga/newton-county-superior-court)
Current assignment[Newton County Superior Court](/kyj/court/ga/newton-county-superior-court)
JurisdictionGeorgia · State
Judicial serviceActive

## Biography

### Professional career

- Retired Chief Judge of the Alcovy Judicial Circuit Superior Court in Georgia, serving in that role since 2004 until his retirement on December 31, 2022
- He held the role of Chief Judge of the circuit (covering Newton and Walton Counties) from 2004 until his retirement
- Before becoming a judge, Ott was District Attorney of the Alcovy Judicial Circuit from 1985 to 1990, elected to the position.
- Began his legal career in 1981 as an assistant district attorney, later promoted to chief assistant district attorney
- Administrative Judge for the Tenth Judicial District of Georgia

### Education

- in English — University of Georgia — B.A. (1976)

### Additional information

- In October 2022, Ott announced his retirement, citing gratitude for the support of court staff, sheriffs, police chiefs, clerks of court, and county commissions.
- First appointed to the Alcovy Judicial Circuit Superior Court bench in 1990 by then-Governor Joe Frank Harris.
- His tenure on the bench spanned 32 years, and his total legal career was 41 years
- He was 68 years old at the time and had been a resident of Newton and Walton Counties for his entire legal career

## 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/63c026a673fcce0011b7b294/)

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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.