Judge Rita Cavanaugh has served the citizens of Spalding County in the judicial system for forty five years. First elected as a Justice of the Peace in 1976, she was privileged to be a part of structuring the new judicial system and rules under the Georgia Constitution of 1983.  It was under these changes that the Magistrate Courts in Georgia were created.

During her time in office, she has served in many leadership positions within the state judicial system.  She served the Magistrate Association as Training Chair for a number of years and President for two terms, served on the the Judicial Council of Georgia for two terms, was Trustee of the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education at the University of Georgia for more than two terms, was appointed by the Supreme Court Justice to the Griffin Judicial Circuit Public Defender Selection Committee, and appointed by the governor to the Magistrate Retirement Board in 2006.  She has been honored to receive numerous awards for her contributions from organizations around the state, including Magistrate of the Year twice, several Appreciation Awards, and the Lifetime Achievement Award.

She attended the National Judicial College at the University of Nevada, where she received several Judicial Certificates.  She has completed more than 2,400 hours in Continuing Judicial Education from the University of Georgia, School of Law, Institute for Continuing Judicial Education.