Hon. Joshua C. Bell is a judge for the Grady County State Court in Georgia. He was elected to the bench in 2014.
In addition to sitting on the State Court bench, Bell was appointed by the South Georgia Judicial Circuit Superior Court judges to serve as the Circuit’s Juvenile Court judge in 2017.
The South Georgia Judicial Circuit is comprised of Baker, Calhoun, Decatur, Grady, and Mitchell Counties.
As a juvenile judge, Bell has presided over Grady, Decatur, and Calhoun Counties. The Grady County Juvenile Court is held once a month.
His other judicial positions have included serving as a municipal judge for the Cities of Cairo (since 2001), Bainbridge (since 2007), Climax (since 2007), Donalsonville (since 2008), and Meigs (since 2015). Bell has also served as a judge for the City of Whigham Recorders Court (since 2001) and an assistant magistrate judge for the Grady County Magistrate Court (2004 to 2009).
In addition to presiding on the bench, he has maintained his private practice, The Law Office of Joshua C. Bell, LLC, in Bainbridge since 2009.
Before that, Bell was a partner in Kirbo, Kendrick & Bell, LLC (2001 to 2009) and Chason, Willett & Bell, LLP (1998 to 2001).
He received a B.A. in criminal justice (1993) and an M.P.A. (1995) from the University of Georgia. Bell went on to complete a J.D. at the University of Georgia School of Law in 1998. While a law student, he was a law clerk at the law firm of Hudson, Montgomery & Kalivoda (1996 to 1998).
His memberships have included the State Bar of Georgia Board of Governors, the State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division (past president), and the Joseph Henry Lumpkin Inn of Court.
His civic involvement has included the Cairo-Grady County Chamber of Commerce (Board of Directors), the University of Georgia Alumni Association (Board of Directors), the Bainbridge Decatur County Humane Society (past president), the Grady County Mentor Program, the United Way of Grady County (Board of Directors), the Rotary Club of Cairo (Board of Directors), the Grady General Hospital Support League (Board of Directors), the S.W.G.A. Technical College Board of Trustees, the Big Brother/Big Sister Program, and Leadership UGA.
Bell is the recipient of the William King Meadow Award (1998).
He is a graduate of Brookwood High School (1989) in Thomasville, Georgia. Bell and his wife, Deana, have two children.