Cherokee Judge McElyea To Hear Georgia Supreme Court Case

Cherokee County Superior Court Judge Ellen McElyea on Monday will hear a case at the Georgia Supreme Court.

McElyea will serve in place of Justice David Nahmias in the appeal of Morrison Homes, Inc. v. HDI-Gerling America Insurance Co. (S13Q0462). 

Arguments in the case will start at 10 a.m. Monday.

The case involves a home builder who is appealing a federal district court ruling that came out in favor of an insurance company that denied coverage to the builder.

The federal appeals court asked the Georgia Supreme Court to answer two questions surrounding Georgia law before rendering its final decision.

Along with hearing the case, McElyea will also have a role in the court's decision.

McElyea, 52, was appointed in January 2007 to the bench by former Gov. Sonny Perdue to fill a new position in the Superior Court in the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit, which encompasses Cherokee County. 

McElyea was elected to the bench in 2008 and re-elected in 2012. Before serving on the Superior Court bench, McElyea was a presiding judge in the Cherokee County Juvenile Court for seven years. 

During her tenure on the Judicial Court bench, she was a judicial advisor to the State Board of the Department of Juvenile Justice and also served on legislative study commissions for the Georgia Child Support Guidelines and the state’s Juvenile Code.

She was elected treasurer of the Georgia Council of Juvenile Court Judges. Before that, McElyea served as the Municipal Court Judge for the city of Canton, practiced family law for 15 years in the county and was the attorney for the Department of Family and Children Services in the Appalachian Judicial Circuit for five years. 

She also served as a domestic relations mediator in the Ninth Judicial District and in Cobb County. McElyea has served on numerous committees for the Council of Superior Court Judges and currently is the vice-chair of the Uniform Rules Committee. 

The Canton resident is heavily involved in Cherokee County. McElyea is a member of the Reinhardt University Board of Trustees, board member of CASA for Children, Inc. and a graduate of Leadership Cherokee.   

McElyea graduated magna cum laude from Furman University in 1982 and graduated in 1985 from the University of Georgia School of Law. 

She lives in Canton with husband Bobby Dyer and they have two adult sons.