Judge Michael L. Karpf: Biography & Judicial Service | KnowJudges

# Michael L. Karpf
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/58af023dce9168f520c4dd06/) · [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.

## Michael L. Karpf 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

- Retired senior judge of the Chatham County Superior Court in Georgia, serving on the bench from 1993 until his retirement on January 1, 2019
- Appointments & Roles: Karpf began his judicial service in 1993, first as a judge on the Recorder’s Court of Savannah and later on the Chatham County State Court
- Now a senior judge in the Chatham County Superior Court’s senior/judging roster, though no longer actively presiding over cases
- His successor in some roles is Benjamin W. Karpf, also a judge in the Eastern Judicial Circuit
- Chief Judge: He sat as Chief Judge of the Chatham County Superior Court, during which he created the Major Crimes Division, assigning two rotating judges to handle the most serious offenses

### Education


### Additional information

- Elections: Karpf won re-election in 2010 and 2014 without opposition
- Retirement: He retired after more than 40 years in the judiciary
- Eastern Judicial Circuit: He was elected to the Eastern Judicial Circuit of Georgia’s Superior Court, serving in the 1st Superior Court District
- Major Crimes Division: Institutionalized a rotating judge system for serious criminal cases

## 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/58af023dce9168f520c4dd06/)

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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.