Judge Tangela Barrie is a native of Thomasville.

Judge Tangela Barrie was elected chief judge of the DeKalb Superior Court in the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit on Dec. 2, 2014. She will also serve as chief judge of the 4th Judicial Administrative District (which includes Rockdale County). Her two-year term began on Jan. 1.

Barrie is a native of Thomasville. She graduated from Thomasville High School (1991), Albany State University (1994) and Stetson University College of Law (1997). She is the daughter of Adam John (AJ) and Marjann Hopkins, both of Thomasville. She is the granddaughter of Bill and Annie Bell Hopkins (paternal) and Willie and Bernice Wyche (maternal).

Barrie is the youngest Superior Court Judge elected to the circuit, at age 35, and is the second African-American female on the DeKalb County bench. In her capacity as a Superior Court judge, she handles felony cases ranging from theft to murder (including death penalty cases). Her civil case load includes adoptions, child custody, divorces and various other civil matters. She also voluntarily presides over drug court, which is an accountability court designed to rehabilitate offenders who use drugs.

Prior to taking the bench, Barrie was assigned to the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Unit. She worked vigorously advocating for the safety of women. In recognition of her efforts, she was awarded by the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office the Boundless Commitment to the Community Award in 2006 and was named the 2007 Prosecuting Attorney of the Year.

With her strong family roots and commitment to community safety, Barrie is dedicated to educating and empowering the community. She is a devoted advocate for young lawyers and youths and has a successful intern in-chambers program. She is an active member of several service organizations, such as Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated (Stone Mountain-Lithonia Alumnae Chapter) and the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW-DeKalb Chapter). Barrie is also on the board of various professional organizations, including the Wade Walker YMCA, Charles L. Weltner Family Law Inn of Court (executive board), and Gate City Bar-Judicial Section (executive board). She a member of the Georgia Association of Women Lawyers (GAWL), DeKalb Lawyers Association, DeKalb Bar Association and the state bars of Georgia, Florida and Texas.

In 2009, Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys awarded Barrie with the Bensonetta Tipton Lane Award for her tireless dedication to family safety. In 2012, she was awarded the Safety and Justice Award by Saving Our Families and Children, Inc. (SOCAF).

Barrie, 41, is the wife of Dr. Mahmoud Barrie and the mother of three young sons.

One of Barrie’s goals during her term is to open the courthouse doors to the community by instituting programs for the self-represented litigants and instituting measures so that citizens can easily navigate the courthouse.