Judge Kelly D. Turner: Biography & Judicial Service | KnowJudges

# Kelly D. Turner
Senior Judge · [Lowndes County State Court](/kyj/court/ga/lowndes-county-state-court)

## Judicial assignments
[Southern Judicial Circuit](/kyj/court/ga/southern-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/58af021fce9168f520c4d8f7/) · [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.

## Kelly D. Turner at a glance
Current roleSenior Judge
Court[Lowndes County State Court](/kyj/court/ga/lowndes-county-state-court)
Current assignment[Lowndes County State Court](/kyj/court/ga/lowndes-county-state-court)
JurisdictionGeorgia · State
Judicial serviceActive

## Biography

### Professional career

- Before that, she held the role of the Associate Magistrate of Lowndes County starting in 1990.
- Subsequently appointed by the governor as a Senior State Court Judge, a part-time role
- She was also an adjunct professor at Valdosta State University for five years, teaching in the departments of Criminal Justice, Sociology, and Psychology

### Education

- Law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

### Additional information

- Kelly Duane Turner joined the Lowndes County State Court in 1995 by then-Governor Zell Miller to complete the unexpired term of her predecessor, Richard Cowart.
- Turner was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1987
- She had nearly 40 years of legal experience in general practice before stepping down from the bench
- She is remembered for her long tenure in the courtroom, her teaching contributions, and her dedication to public service in Lowndes County

## 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/58af021fce9168f520c4d8f7/)

[Public Records & Data Use](/public-records-data-use) · [Corrections policy](/corrections)

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## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [GA judicial conduct Rule 2.8 — courtroom order and courtesy](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-966932b4143407baf629735a) — State judicial courts only; published Code version February 1, 2024. Shared decorum baseline; does not establish complete court-specific practice. Shared baseline only, not a judge-specific preference or complete local rules inventory. Apply source exceptions, case-type limits, later amendments and case orders. [Official source](https://www.gasupreme.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Code-of-Judicial-Conduct-2024_02_01.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.