Judge Maureen Wood has served as the Rockdale County Juvenile Court Judge since 2016. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Spelman College in Atlanta, GA and obtained her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Judge Wood is one of seventy-six (76) Child Welfare Law Specialists in the state of Georgia and deemed an expert in the field. Since taking the bench in 2016, Wood has expanded the Rockdale County Juvenile Court program offerings by implementing two additional Accountability Courts (Family Treatment Court and Mental Health Resource Court), revamping the Court’s CHINS protocol, and starting the Project GLOW girls group (a program aimed to address the growing number of girls in the juvenile justice system through a strength based curriculum that focuses on self-esteem, community engagement, goal setting and self-care). Additionally, the Youth IMPACT Center (formerly known as the Evening Reporting Center) now houses a day program established by Judge Wood to provide daily supervision and educational instruction to suspended and expelled youth, and an evening program that offers supervision, life skills, tutoring and a wide range of evidence-based programs.
Judge Wood is committed to ensuring that the court-involved youth of Rockdale County receive supervision, instruction, and therapy tailored to their individual and familial needs. The Court focuses its resources on more effective interventions and expedited resolution of court involvement, which Judge Wood believes will ultimately produce the best results for the youth in the community.
Judge Wood holds membership and leadership roles in several legal and civic organizations. Wood’s community outreach includes over a decade of coaching girls’ softball, having coached a team of eight-year-old girls as recently as last fall. Wood shares her expertise through speaking engagements. She has presented to legal professionals at the Georgia Child Welfare Summit, Georgia CASA Conference, Georgia Clerks’ Conference, the COSSUP National Forum, The Council of Accountability Court Judges Conference, the Georgia Juvenile Court Judges’ Conference and the Georgia Juvenile Court Judges’ New Judge Training.
Wood believes that when addressing community safety, we must make a conscious effort to direct time and resources towards individuals with untreated mental health issues and substance use disorders. Wood is a fierce advocate for accountability courts. Her Juvenile Drug Treatment Court was recently highlighted at the National Association of Drug Court Professionals Conference for its implementation of best practices. She is the committee chairperson for the Council of Accountability Court Judges’ Family Treatment Court bench book committee (where she is overseeing the creation of the first family treatment court bench book of its kind in the state and the nation). Wood is the 2023 recipient of the Georgia Conference on Children and Families Innovative Leadership Award and was recently voted Best Community Leader and Best Politician in the Rockdale/ Newton Citizen 2023 Best of the Best contest. Wood is known for her legal expertise and experience, love for her community, and her commitment to ensuring everyone in her Court has equal access to justice. When describing herself, Wood will proudly tell you that, she is a Judge who “Sits on the bench and Stands for the community”. Wood is a candidate for the Rockdale County Superior Court Judicial election on May 21, 2024.
