BallotPedia, Matt McMaster (Georgia 7th Superior Court Cobb Circuit, Georgia, candidate 2022)

Matt graduated from Georgia State University in 2005 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Computer Information Systems and Marketing. Matt is married to his wife Allison, and together they have two sons.

Matt worked as an IT Analyst for Donnelly Communications Inc. (DCI) in Atlanta, Georgia. He later worked as an  Assistant System Administrator for a company in Cartersville, GA, and was later promoted to System Administrator and In-House Counsel. McMaster also worked for Adoption Option Inc. and was an adjunct professor at Northwood University, teaching Business Law and Entertainment and Sports Law.

Matt McMaster ran for the Georgia 7th Superior Court Cobb Circuit in 2022, but did not win.

Candidate website

LinkedIn

The candidate's website says, "Matt has practiced in over 20 different counties across Georgia and has multiple times sacrificed political stature to stand by what is right."

Practiced in over "20 different counties across Georgia and has multiple times sacrificed political stature to stand by what is right."

Has taken cases in areas of law including: business law, contracts, civil litigation, family law, and landlord/tenant law.

Received a Juris Doctorate from Ave Maria School of Law.

Served as an editor for the Law Review journal, and clerked for Justice Elizabeth A. Weaver of the Michigan Supreme Court in 2007.

- Practiced in over "20 different counties across Georgia and has multiple times sacrificed political stature to stand by what is right."
- Has taken cases in areas of law including: business law, contracts, civil litigation, family law, and landlord/tenant law.
- Received a Juris Doctorate from Ave Maria School of Law.
- Served as an editor for the Law Review journal, and clerked for Justice Elizabeth A. Weaver of the Michigan Supreme Court in 2007.

Legal Experience

The candidate's website says, "Bowers poses a serious threat to The People of Cobb County... We must do something to change the course of our judiciary or else we will suffer the fate of our neighbors in Fulton County who are presently floundering and flailing in a cesspool of corruption and lawlessness. The integrity of our judiciary is lacking... We as a County must break the chain."

Believes "Bowers poses a serious threat to The People of Cobb County... We must do something to change the course of our judiciary or else we will suffer the fate of our neighbors in Fulton County who are presently floundering and flailing in a cesspool of corruption and lawlessness. The integrity of our judiciary is lacking... We as a County must break the chain."

Opposes cronyism and corruption in Cobb County's judiciary, criticizing incumbent Judge Bowers and Senior Judge Brantley for perpetuating unethical practices.

- Believes "Bowers poses a serious threat to The People of Cobb County... We must do something to change the course of our judiciary or else we will suffer the fate of our neighbors in Fulton County who are presently floundering and flailing in a cesspool of corruption and lawlessness. The integrity of our judiciary is lacking... We as a County must break the chain."
- Opposes cronyism and corruption in Cobb County's judiciary, criticizing incumbent Judge Bowers and Senior Judge Brantley for perpetuating unethical practices.

Ethics & Conduct

Said, "...the incumbent executes his job with a severely outdated and flawed philosophy, which is inconsistent with his duty to make decisions based on the facts and the law."

- Said, "...the incumbent executes his job with a severely outdated and flawed philosophy, which is inconsistent with his duty to make decisions based on the facts and the law."

Judicial Philosophy

Believes judges in Cobb County hastily approve decisions without due diligence, undermining due process and harming lives, urges voters to intervene for change.

Said, "But how do we address these problematic senior judges, these alleged “leaders” who are not subject to the will of the voters? ... Challenge those elected judges who assign their cases to these senior judges, those who appoint them as mediators, and those who publicly encourage and praise them. ... both judges utilize the "rubber-stamp" method for closing cases which is perhaps the biggest threat to due process facing civil litigants."

Said, "But how do we address these problematic senior judges, these alleged “leaders” who are not subject to the will of the voters? ... Challenge those elected judges who assign their cases to these senior judges, those who appoint them as mediators, and those who publicly encourage and praise them."

Said, "How could a judge simply sign parental rights away at the drop of a hat, without notice or a hearing? ... This is what I call “faux process” ... what many attorneys refer to as a “rubber-stamped” order."

Said, "How could a judge simply sign parental rights away at the drop of a hat, without notice or a hearing? ... This is what I call “faux process”... what many attorneys refer to as a “rubber-stamped” order."

Opposes the frequent use of rubber-stamped orders by judges like Brantley in Georgia, viewing it as a threat to due process and criticizing the costly appeal process as an unjust barrier to equitable case resolution.

- Believes judges in Cobb County hastily approve decisions without due diligence, undermining due process and harming lives, urges voters to intervene for change.
- Said, "But how do we address these problematic senior judges, these alleged “leaders” who are not subject to the will of the voters? ... Challenge those elected judges who assign their cases to these senior judges, those who appoint them as mediators, and those who publicly encourage and praise them."
- Said, "How could a judge simply sign parental rights away at the drop of a hat, without notice or a hearing? ... This is what I call “faux process”... what many attorneys refer to as a “rubber-stamped” order."
- Opposes the frequent use of rubber-stamped orders by judges like Brantley in Georgia, viewing it as a threat to due process and criticizing the costly appeal process as an unjust barrier to equitable case resolution.

Judicial Administration

Said, "For me, all roads have led to Cobb County and Marietta, Georgia is my home. Cobb's well-being is very personal to me."

- Said, "For me, all roads have led to Cobb County and Marietta, Georgia is my home. Cobb's well-being is very personal to me."

Community Involvement

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Matt McMaster

Matt McMaster (Georgia 7th Superior Court Cobb Circuit, Georgia, candidate 2022)

Matt McMaster graduated from Georgia State University in 2005 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Computer Information Systems and Marketing. Matt is married to his wife Allison, and together they have two sons.

Matt McMaster worked as an IT Analyst for Donnelly Communications Inc. (DCI) in Atlanta, Georgia. He later worked as an  Assistant System Administrator for a company in Cartersville, GA, and was later promoted to System Administrator and In-House Counsel. McMaster also worked for Adoption Option Inc. and was an adjunct professor at Northwood University, teaching Business Law and Entertainment and Sports Law.

- The candidate's website says, "Matt has practiced in over 20 different counties across Georgia and has multiple times sacrificed political stature to stand by what is right."
- Has taken cases in areas of law including: business law, contracts, civil litigation, family law, and landlord/tenant law.
- Received a Juris Doctorate from Ave Maria School of Law.
- Served as an editor for the Law Review journal, and clerked for Justice Elizabeth A. Weaver of the Michigan Supreme Court in 2007.

Said, "In 2022, Judge Bowers publicly stated that "Brantley’s given [Bowers] great advice many, many times over the years when [Bowers] worked with him," and "[Bowers] learned so much from him that [Bowers] use today in the courtroom in state court."... In 2018, Judge Bowers presided over a hearing... At the end of the hearing, Judge Bowers made an oral ruling in favor of the plaintiff and told the plaintiff’s attorney to draft an order for Bowers to sign. In his proposed order, the plaintiff's attorney inserted a clause that resolved a material issue to the case that was not within the scope of the hearing and cited inapplicable law to justify the bogus ruling. Judge Bowers signed (or “rubber-stamped”) the proposed order, which created additional unnecessary litigation."

The candidate's website says, "The Cobb County judiciary is plagued with corruption, though Matt knows it doesn't have to stay that way. That is why Matt is running to replace the incumbent, but it is up to you to VOTE."

The candidate's website says, "Because campaign contributions and political connections influence judges' decisions, our Court is prone to fail."

- The candidate's website says, "Bowers poses a serious threat to The People of Cobb County... We must do something to change the course of our judiciary or else we will suffer the fate of our neighbors in Fulton County who are presently floundering and flailing in a cesspool of corruption and lawlessness. The integrity of our judiciary is lacking... We as a County must break the chain."
- The candidate's website says, "Because campaign contributions and political connections influence judges' decisions, our Court is prone to fail."
- Opposes cronyism and corruption in Cobb County's judiciary, criticizing incumbent Judge Bowers and Senior Judge Brantley for perpetuating unethical practices.

Said, "Clearly, the Cobb County judiciary has a leadership problem... if we do not do something to change the course of our court system, we will undoubtedly suffer the fate of our neighbors... As cliché as it sounds: Not on my watch."

The candidate's website says, "Lives are unjustly ruined daily at the hands of our judicial leaders, but it doesn't have to be that way. Calling all voters: Cobb County needs your help."

The candidate's website says, "Our maimed “justice” system is the result of ... the misalignment of incentives. ... Judges are acting like cogs in a wheel, simple machines "rubber-stamping" their signatures on paper without scrutinizing the contents. ..."

Said, "In 2022, I was hired to defend a civil matter in Fulton County that should have been dismissed with just one hearing by a competent judge... After multiple unsuccessful motions to recuse the presiding judge, the Fulton County judiciary recruited Judge Grant Brantley from Cobb County to take over the case... With Judge Brantley now assigned to the case, I had high hopes that my client would finally get a fair shake and the case would be dismissed as it should have been over two years ago. That was not the case... That case is still pending—though, again, it should have been dismissed and closed over two years ago."

Said, "In 2022, I was hired to defend a civil matter in Fulton County that should have been dismissed with just one hearing by a competent judge... After multiple unsuccessful motions to recuse the presiding judge, the Fulton County judiciary recruited Judge Grant Brantley from Cobb County to take over the case... With Judge Brantley now assigned to the case, I had high hopes that my client would finally get a fair shake and the case would be dismissed as it should have been over two years ago. That was not the case..."

Said, "In 2019, I represented a mother in Muscogee County in a custody battle... The judge asked the father’s attorney to draft an order appointing the Guardian Ad Litem... In the proposed order, however, the opposing attorney inserted a clause that changed full custody from the mother to the father. The judge carelessly signed the order and the mother lost primary custody of her son without notice or a hearing on the matter..."

Said, "In light of the misguided direction of our Cobb County judicial officers... I have been observing the work of judges and I would often request to record public hearings which is authorized by Rule 22 of the Uniform Superior Court Rules... These three judges have one common denominator: They are all “senior judges”—retired judges not subject to election or reelection... yet they continue to preside over cases, asserting their will and violating people’s rights with no accountability."

Matt McMaster moved to Cobb County, Marietta, Georgia from Southern California in 1988 and attended local schools including Mt. Bethel Elementary, Timber Ridge Elementary, Dodgen Middle School, and Alan C. Pope High School. He graduated from Georgia State University in 2005 with a BBA in Computer Information Systems and Marketing. Matt is married to Allison, and they have two sons who are enrolled in the Marietta City School district public schools. There is no information provided about the church they attend.

Matt McMaster is a licensed attorney in Georgia since 2010 and runs a general practice law firm in downtown Marietta, handling cases in various areas of law. He attended Ave Maria School of Law, where he served as an editor for the Law Review journal, and clerked for Justice Elizabeth A. Weaver of the Michigan Supreme Court in 2007. Previously, he worked for Adoption Option Inc. and was an adjunct professor at Northwood University, teaching Business Law and Entertainment and Sports Law.

As of May 3, 2024, Matt McMaster’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Said, "...I left DCI in 2015 to enter the realm of self employment doing contract work in both IT and civil litigation... I was later promoted to System Administrator and In-House Counsel... I left Doehler in June 2016 to run my private law firm fulltime as a sole practitioner."

- Despite their name, State Courts in Georgia have limited jurisdiction within their county. State Court Judges also have limited jurisdiction over the types of cases they hear, as opposed to Superior Court. 
- State Court Judges hear misdemeanors, like traffic tickets. They also issue arrest and search warrants and hold preliminary hearings in some criminal cases. 
- State Court Judges hear most civil matters that aren't related to land titles, divorce, or cases involving non-monetary damages (those matters are handled by the Superior Court).
- State Court Judges are elected in non-partisan county wide elections and serve four year terms. The Governor can appoint State Court Judges when vacancies arise. 
