Seasons Greetings Georgia Courts Journal Readers:
Our top story for December is the last Judicial Council of Georgia meeting of 2019 which took place on December 6. The meeting was video archived and some still pictures are posted for your perusal. The move to the new Nathan Deal Judicial Center is almost complete with a few more folks posting goodbyes to the old building and glimpses of the new building. The Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism (CJCP) held a successful CLE recently and is planning a suicide awareness CLE on April 28, 2020 from 2p.m. to 5p.m. at the State Bar of Georgia in Atlanta and via livestream. The CJCP is asking all judges around the state please to consider offering your courts as a viewing venue for the suicide awareness CLE to encourage your judicial staff and local attorneys to attend a screening of the live stream in person.
We had representatives from nine of Georgia’s ten Judicial Administrative Districts participate in Bill of Rights Day (December 15) events. Thank you to Judge Walker, Judge Burleson, Judge Bagley, Judge Kirk, Judge Barker, Judge Hammond, Judge Bell, Judge Amero, and Judge Asha Jackson (to come in January 2020) for providing short civics lessons to students about the Bill of Rights and more.
Judge Hudson visited the JC/AOC for the last staff meeting of the year and shared his story of recovery after a devastating car crash. Bruce Shaw spent the day with Judges Padgett and Kell to learn their podcast process and to take pictures. Judge Scott Smith gave an interview to local media about the value of drug courts. LaShawn Murphy brought us pictures from her visit to Grantville Municipal Court and Judge Lisa Reeves.
We visited Judge McClelland’s DUI court graduation in Forsyth County recently as guests. We were also guests at a Parental Accountability Court graduation in the Ocmulgee Circuit. The Access to Justice Committee met in December (Justice Benham opened with a poem and announced his March 1 retirement). The Child Support Commission and the Supreme Court of Georgia’s Committee on Justice for Children also met. The Behavioral Health Innovation and Reform Commission had its first meeting which includes Justice Boggs, Judge Amero, Judge Harris, and Judge Weaver. The JC/AOC had a visit from the judiciary of Brazil.
The 26th Annual Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute had a full house. Retiring Judge Brad Boyd was honored by his Board of Commissioners. We have two new additions, Magistrate Court Judge Michael Barker and Municipal Court Judge Willie Weaver, for our “Meet the Members of the Judicial Council” video series. Finally, we would like to remind you of this year’s caseload reporting effort.
Your JC/AOC Courts Journal newsletter team:
Michelle Barclay, Keia Evans, Noelle Lagueux-Alvarez, Bruce Shaw, and our contractors, Patricia Buonodono & John Ramspott.