BUFORD — Ramona Toole, a candidate for Gwinnett County Superior Court judge, focused on experience, fairness, accessibility and public trust during a recent candidate town hall hosted by the Buford Business Alliance ahead of the May 19 primary election.

Toole, a Snellville resident, told voters she has spent more than two decades working in Georgia courtrooms and said that experience has prepared her to serve on the Superior Court bench.

“I have been an attorney in Georgia for 22 years,” Toole said. “I have practiced in city court, state court, municipal court and superior court across multiple counties and states and I believe I understand what the people need.”

Born and raised in Alabama, Toole said her early life was marked by experiences that led her to choose a career in the justice system while she was still in eighth grade. Her path, she said, was not only about becoming an attorney, but about helping create safer communities and protecting vulnerable people.

Toole earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from Berea College in Kentucky and later earned a Master of Business Administration from Alabama A&M University. She went on to attend Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson, Mississippi.

While attending law school full-time, Toole volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate in Juvenile Court, served as a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters and mentored students in the Jackson Public School District.

After earning her law degree, Toole relocated to Gwinnett County and passed the Georgia Bar in October 2003. Since then, she has worked to help residents understand and navigate the legal system, with a focus on making justice more accessible.

Toole began her legal career as an assistant solicitor in Atlanta Traffic Court. She later worked in the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, first in the Child Support Unit, where she helped custodial parents seek support for their families, and later in the Trial Division, where she managed a large caseload and supervised law school interns.

In 2016, Toole joined the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office, where she remained until 2021. Her legal work has included cases involving traffic offenses, armed robbery, aggravated assault, vehicular homicides, murder and illegal manufacture and distribution of controlled substances.

She currently serves as deputy district attorney for the Records, Diversion and Record Restriction Unit in Fulton County. In that role, she works with diversion and record restriction cases, including opportunities for people to receive a second chance when allowed by law.

During the town hall, Toole said the first thing people should expect from a judge is a commitment to following the law.

“As a prosecutor, if the stop is bad or the search is bad, I don’t go forward with the case, because I know that if it’s bad, it cannot come into evidence,” Toole said. “I will continue to follow the law if I am elected.”

Toole also said courts must do a better job of moving cases forward in a timely manner.

“We should not be trying cases in 2026 that happened in 2019,” Toole said. “When people have cases sitting over them, that creates pressure and strain. We need to move cases forward, and that is exactly what I do.”

She said dignity and respect would be central to how she runs a courtroom.

Toole said she has been in courtrooms where she was yelled at or belittled and remembers how hurtful that experience was, even as someone with legal training. She said that experience shaped how she believes people should be treated in court.

“My job is to make sure that when you come into my courtroom, you are treated with dignity and respect and have an opportunity to have your voice heard,” Toole said.

When asked how she would ensure impartiality in cases involving people she may know, Toole said she would disclose any relationship with a defendant, litigant or attorney and recuse herself if the relationship could create even the appearance of impropriety.

“I want the people of Gwinnett County to have faith in me,  to know that I am following the law without fear or favor,” Toole said. “If there is even a concern, the right step is to recuse myself.”

Toole also said judges have a responsibility to build public trust by being accessible and visible.

“One way is to be accessible to the people,” Toole said. “We don’t need to hide behind our robes. We need to allow people to come into our courtroom and even our chambers, to talk to us and address us.”

She said judges should respond to emails, return phone calls and remember that they are public servants.

“We are public servants, which means we work for the community,” Toole said. “Being accessible, being visible and allowing people to come to us with concerns is key.”

Beyond the courtroom, Toole has been involved in community youth programs in Gwinnett, including Teen Unity Night, a children’s “Justice for All” Summit and multiple back-to-school festivals. She also serves as a panel member on the Fulton County Juvenile Court Citizen Review Panel.

Toole is a member of the Gwinnett County Bar, the Gwinnett County Chapter of the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers, the Gwinnett County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys and the Junior League of Gwinnett and North Fulton.

In her closing remarks, Toole said she has spent her career preparing cases, following the law and being accessible to victims, attorneys and defendants.

“What you look for in a Superior Court judge,  I have been doing that for 22 years, and I will continue to do that on the bench,” Toole said.

Toole directed voters to tooleforjudge.com and said she hopes to earn their vote on May 19.