Judge Gosselin to hear Ga. Supreme Court case

ATLANTA - Superior Court Judge Kathlene Gosselin of the Northeastern Judicial Circuit has been chosen to serve in place of Justice David Nahmias in hearing a case the state Supreme Court is scheduled to hear Monday.

The case involves two personal injury lawyers who are disputing the State Bar of Georgia's recommendation that they be disbarred. In addition to hearing arguments, Judge Gosselin will participate in the Court's decision.

She will be the second Gainesville-based Superior Court judge this year to participate in a hearing before the state Supreme Court. Judge Jason Deal did so in February.

Judge Gosselin, 55, was first elected to the bench in 1986, when she successfully ran in a contested race for State Court Judge of Hall County. She was re-elected twice without opposition before she was appointed to the Superior Court for the Northeastern Judicial Circuit in 1998. The Circuit covers both Dawson and Hall counties. She has been re-elected twice to the Superior Court. Currently President of the Council of Superior Court Judges, Judge Gosselin also served as President of the Council of State Court Judges from 1987 to 1998. Prior to being a judge, she was a partner in the law firm of Fockele and Gosselin, where she concentrated in criminal, domestic and juvenile work.

In 2004, Judge Gosselin started a mental health court in Hall County, called the HELP Court. The court has proven to be a cost-saving alternative for those with mental illness caught up in the criminal justice system by getting them into treatment and helping them avoid future jail and hospital stays. Judge Gosselin has also participated in numerous civic and professional activities, including Gateway House, where she served as President and is on the advisory board, Leadership Hall County, League of Women Voters, where she served on the Board of Directors, the Governor's Commission on Family Violence, the Georgia Supreme Court Committee on Gender Equality, where she served as Chair, and the Good News Clinic, where she serves on the advisory board.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Judge Gosselin received her Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School. Currently she is on the Vestry of Grace Episcopal Church. Judge Gosselin is married to William Galardi and they have four children.