Happy Spring Courts Journal Readers:
In addition to budding trees and oscillating temperatures, March in Georgia means it is extra busy at the Georgia State Capitol. Likewise, the Judicial Council’s Standing Committee on Legislation, chaired by Presiding Justice Peterson, has also been extra busy this month. As the countdown to Sine Die enters its final hours, you may track bills of significance to Georgia’s Judicial Branch at legislation.georgiacourts.gov. The AOC’s Legislative Team anticipates publishing a Summary of Enacted Legislation after the Governor’s signing deadline. The Council of Municipal Court Judges recently hosted a legislative day at the Capitol, which included a picture with the Governor and a lovely breakfast gathering. The NCSC replayed Judge Berryl Anderson’s wonderful The Gift of Wellness webinar. We enjoyed working with Chief Municipal Court Judge Norman Cuadra and Paul Panusky, Esq., who is also a mediator and an ASL/English legal interpreter, to create a training video with the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education titled: Fundamentals of Courtroom Management: Limited English Proficient Participants.
March is Women’s History Month and we were delighted to work with our state’s judges for this year’s theme of celebrating women judges posing with their predecessors and celebrating women judges who are the first to be appointed to their bench or class of court. Pi Day is March 14th and we thank the Council of State Court Judges and its Executive Director, Bob Bray, for treating AOC staffers to a delightful day of delicious pies. Congratulations to State Court Judge Jane Manning who will be teaching a class on Judicial Writing at the National Judicial College next month and to Judge Ronda Colvin who was recently awarded a National Distinguished Community Service Award.
The Supreme Court of Georgia’s Committee on Justice for Children met this month and also hosted a Child Welfare Law Specialist retreat with inspiring closing remarks from Chair Justice Charlie Bethel. We enjoyed interviewing Devin Cooper for a staff profile. The AOC IT Division hosted a Criminal Data Exchange Board meeting and a Technology Committee meeting this month. We appreciate Superior Court Judge Russell Smith of the Mountain Judicial Circuit and Superior Court Judge Amanda Petty of the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit for hosting AOC staff as part of our ongoing Court Observation Program. Allowing AOC staff to visit your courts helps give context to the importance of the judicial branch and connects us to your work, so that we may better support you.
Thank you Chief Judge Jason Deal for speaking at our All Staff Meeting. Congratulations to Judge Johnny Panos who received the Legal Pioneer Award from the DeKalb County Bar Association. Congratulations also to new Fulton County Juvenile Court Judge Caren Cloud, who was sworn in before a large crowd of supporters in mid-March. There was a robust program at the 24th Annual Georgia Symposium on Ethics and Professionalism held at Mercer Law School as reported by the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism. Civics education efforts are going strong provided by Judge Brandon Bryson at Cartersville Primary School; Judge Jason Thompson hosting State v. The Big Bad Wolf mock trial; and the Supreme Court of Georgia hosting multiple tours and talks at the Nathan Deal Judicial Center. Don’t miss the March episodes of the Good Judge-ment Podcast, including Ep. 141: Domestic Relations Financial Affidavits and Ep. 140: Recalcitrant Witnesses, nor the Council of Accountability Court Judges March newsletter. We leave you with a repost we noticed by Judge Rob Leonard: It Takes Strength to Be Kind.
Call on us anytime. Talk to you in April 2024
Your JC/AOC Courts Journal team: Michelle Barclay, Noelle Lagueux-Alvarez, Bruce Shaw, and our contractor, John Ramspott