April 22, 2025 – On April 15, 2025, Superior Court Judge Sonja N. Brown was honored at the 25th Annual Justice Robert Benham Awards for Community Service for her commitment to volunteerism. Honorees of the Benham Award are State Bar of Georgia members who have made significant contributions to their communities and who demonstrate the positive contributions of members of the State Bar of Georgia beyond their legal or official work. In addition to the two lifetime achievement award winners, four other honorees from around Georgia were also recognized at the ceremony.

Judge Brown began her service as a Cobb County Superior Court Judge on January 1, 2023, and she previously served the citizens of Cobb County as a full-time Magistrate Court Judge. A firm believer in giving back, Judge Brown serves her community through many different philanthropic endeavors, including serving on the Board of Directors of the Tommy Nobis Center. An avid supporter of the Covenant House of Georgia, every year since 2014, Judge Brown has participated in Covenant House’s annual Sleep Out: Executive Edition, which raises awareness about youth homelessness. In 2020, she chaired Covenant House Georgia’s 5th annual, Sleep Out: Women Unite!

“I am truly honored to have received this award,” said Judge Brown. “Justice Benham is such a wonderful example of how to serve your community, and to be counted alongside him and these other wonderful honorees is humbling.” Judge Brown says she loves serving Cobb on and off the bench and will continue encouraging all lawyers and judges to participate in community service.

Before being a judge, Judge Brown served as a DeKalb County Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney, a DeKalb County Deputy Chief Assistant Solicitor-General, and worked as a Fulton County Chief Senior Assistant District Attorney. Judge Brown began her legal career as a Paralegal/Contracts Administrator before being promoted to Staff Counsel at Convergent Media Systems Corporation in Alpharetta, Georgia. However, of all the positions Judge Brown holds, she is most proud of being an aunt to her two nieces and four nephews. Judge Brown earned her Juris Doctor at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, a Master of Arts in Christian Practice Degree from Duke Divinity School, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Media Arts (Radio/TV/Film) from Clark Atlanta University.