---
title: "Kenneth (Kent) Lawrence | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/kenneth-kent-lawrence-ga-municipal-59723b82d931d04f99ef6d26"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-08-25"
---

# Kenneth (Kent) Lawrence

Jackson Municipal Court · Chief Judge

## Profile

- Court: Jackson Municipal Court
- State: Georgia
- Role: Chief 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/59723b82d931d04f99ef6d26/)
- [Official roster](https://georgiacourts.knack.com/gcd2/#directory-entries/entry-details/59723b82d931d04f99ef6d26/)
- [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/59723b82d931d04f99ef6d26/)

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## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge Kent Lawrence (1947 – 2020) was a University of Georgia football star, NFL player, police chief, prosecutor, and 26‐year State Court judge in Clarke County, Georgia, best known for pioneering the state’s first DUI Court
- In 1985, Governor Joe Frank Harris appointed him State Court Judge of Clarke County, a role he served for 26 years, including as Chief Judge until his retirement in 2011.
- In 1971, he joined the UGA Police Department as a patrol officer and detective
- While earning his law degree from the Woodrow Wilson College of Law in Atlanta, he served as a special investigator for the District Attorney’s Office before becoming a prosecutor

### Education



### Additional information

- Judge Lawrence passed away March 13, 2020 after an extended illness at age 72
- Joined the State DUI Task Force in 1992 and in 2001 established Georgia’s first DUI Court
- In 1974, he became the first Police Chief of the newly created Clarke County Police Department.
- His standout moment came in the 1966 Cotton Bowl against SMU, where he rushed for 149 yards and was named Most Outstanding Player, setting a bowl rushing record that stood for 25 years.
- Recruited by UGA coach Vince Dooley in 1965, he signed a football scholarship and lettered in both football and track.
- Born June 3, 1947 in Central, South Carolina, Lawrence was the son of Norman and Clyde Lawrence.
- Later inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame
- After college, Lawrence played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons in the NFL
- focusing on rehabilitation and supervision for impaired drivers
- The Judge Kent Lawrence Football Scholarship Endowment to honor his contributions
- The record notes that uGA Football Hall of Fame recognition for his athletic achievements



## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [Uniform Municipal Court Rules, December 31, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-9acfd5d59c7a383c114b177a) — Municipal Court proceedings, including expressly stated civil/criminal limitations. 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/2/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/01171708/UNIFORM-MUNICIPAL-COURT-RULES-12312025.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.
