Happy Summer Courts Journal readers:
We hope you enjoyed the summer solstice. June kicked off with the State Bar of Georgia’s Annual Meeting, where Christopher P. “Chris” Twyman was sworn in as the new Bar President by Chief Justice Peterson. By virtue of President Twyman’s new role, he will serve for the coming year on the Judicial Council of Georgia. During that meeting, Chief Justice Peterson addressed the State Bar’s Board of Governors, highlighting Judicial Council initiatives to improve judicial security for all classes of court, to improve access to justice through legal regulatory reform, and to address emerging AI issues affecting courts.
Congratulations to: former Chief Justice Michael Boggs, who was honored by the State Bar of Georgia with the Distinguished Service Award—the highest tribute given to an individual lawyer in recognition for “conspicuous service to the cause of jurisprudence and to the advancement of the legal profession;” former Chief Justice Hugh Thompson who was honored by the Bench & Bar Committee with its 2025 Chief Justice Thomas O. Marshall Professionalism Award for “the highest professional conduct and paramount reputation for professionalism;” Cobb Superior Court Judge Sonja N. Brown, Cobb State Court Judges Carl W. Bowers and Ashley Palmer, Fulton Superior Court Judge Eric K. Dunaway, and Fulton State Court Judge Patsy Y. Porter, who received the Distinguished Judicial Service Award from the Young Lawyers Division; Cobb County State Court Judge Jane Manning who received the Tradition of Excellence Award from the General Practice and Trial Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia; and Justice John J. Ellington, who received the 2025 Spirit of Justice Award from the Judicial Section all during the 2025 State Bar Annual Meeting. Congratulations as well to the winners of the 2025 Chief Justice P. Harris Hines Awards for Outstanding Advocacy for Children in Dependency Proceedings: attorney, Ashley Stinson, and DFCS case manager, Quandula Wright. Kudos to Douglas County Juvenile Court Judge Talia Johnson Nurse, who was honored with the Judge Willie Lovett Award for Advancing the Field of Juvenile Law.
Many judges received recognition in the month of June.
We’re proud to celebrate the 3rd annual Georgia Municipal Court Clerks’ Week! Municipal Court Clerks ensure justice is served with dedication, transparency, and efficiency. The Supreme Court Committee on Justice for Children held a successful meeting, featuring speakers from Georgia Appleseed on SB 123 and keeping children in school as well as Dr. B. Keith Jones and the Police Chief from the City of Pelham, Georgia, Nealie McCormick, discussing an innovative program to prevent youth violence in rural Georgia. Also, a reminder that we have Weekly Roundtables as well as regular website updates on the Georgia Case Management System project. We enjoyed the article honoring Chief Magistrate Judge Gene Richardson of Floyd County and this post about the Council of Probate Court Judges 2025 Legislative Recognition Awards. We loved the post highlighting the 2025 Phipps fellow, John McGee, who is working at the Court of Appeals this summer. The Judicial Council/AOC’s own Michelle Barclay and Noelle Lagueux-Alvarez interviewed each other about their changing roles. Don’t miss the Good Judge-ment Podcast episodes: 167: Johnson v. State – Reopening Evidence and 165: Default Judgments. We leave you with the notice from the Council of Accountability Court Judges (CACJ) that its nominations for the 2025 Annual Training Conference awards are now open.
Call on us anytime. Talk to you in July.
Your JC/AOC Courts Journal team: Michelle Barclay, Noelle Lagueux-Alvarez, Bruce Shaw, and our contractor, John Ramspott