Greetings Courts Journal Readers:
We hope all of you are recovering from Hurricane Helene. Please know that the Judicial Council/AOC always stands ready to help all courts statewide, in both fair and foul weather, and a repository of judicial emergency orders in effect because of Hurricane Helene may be found on our website here: https://georgiacourts.gov/emergency-orders/. While September ushers in cooler temps and changing leaves, it is also National Recovery Month. Fittingly, the Council of Accountability Court Judges hosted its wonderful annual conference this month with a packed audience; highlights from that event will be included in its newsletter. The State Bar of Georgia held a successful Wellness Institute which featured a panel of four Georgia judges for its closing session. Kudos to State Bar President and Judicial Council Member, Ivy Cadle, and the State Bar of Georgia team on the launch of the State Bar’s new website. Coincidentally, the JC/AOC also updated our website. We were fortunate to interview two new Judicial Council members: Chief Judge Craig Earnest and Chief Judge Thomas Wilson.
September 17th is Constitution Day and we celebrated a day early with a live-streamed discussion featuring Justice Charlie Bethel and Justice Verda Colvin, moderated by Professor Anthony Michael Kreis, who teaches Constitutional Law at Georgia State University College of Law. Students in the Public Management and Administration Pathway, taught by Mr. Austin Coleman, at the Barrow Arts & Sciences Academy were selected to attend in person, in part, because last year, their former teacher, Dr. Christine Hartness, who now works for the Georgia Center for Civic Engagement, received the Georgia Outstanding Civic Educator Award from the Georgia Council for the Social Studies. In addition, a letter to the editor by Justice Bethel and Justice Colvin on the importance of civics education was recently published. We also re-published our animated Constitution Day videos, intended for use by Georgia teachers and students, which were filmed last year by over ten Georgia judges. We noted many judges volunteering to provide civics education this past month, including: Judge McBride speaking at Wynnton Academy in Columbus, the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals hosting the State Bar of Georgia High School Mock Trial events and Judge Wade Padgett speaking at Georgia College and State University.
The Supreme Court of Georgia’s Committee on Justice for Children met this month. GCCA held another very successful conference and also released a new podcast, Ep. 12: The Gavel and the Whisperer: Unpacking the New Court Interpreter Rules. There are also new episodes of the Good Judge-ment podcast; you will not want to miss: Ep. 150, Part 2 featuring our own Ben Luke, the JC/AOC’s CTO, Ep. 151: Sealing Records; Ep. 152: Limiting Instructions and Ep. 153: Staff Attorney Perspective with JB Bryant and Viraj Parmar. Thank you, Judge Dillard, for pictures of Georgia’s September 11th Remembrance Ceremony and Justice Bethel for the post about the Whitfield Remembrance Project which held an event for Lon McCamy in partnership with the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. The Council of Municipal Court Judges had its the Fall Law & Practice Update at Callaway Gardens at the end of the month where Senator Randy Robertson served as the guest speaker, but adjourned early due to Hurricane Helene. Judge Gregory Williams presented on the Uniform Municipal Court Rules and ethics at the Municipal Court Clerks’ 16-Hour Certification in Augusta on September 5-6. The Fayette and Spalding County Bar Associations held a joint CLE to which our JC/AOC staff, Tracy Mason and Darron Enns, were invited by Judge Nailah Grant McFarlane (FCBA President & City of Jonesboro Municipal Court, among others) to present a legislative update.
The Court of Appeals went on the road again to hold oral arguments at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville. Justice Pinson spoke at the Charles L. Weltner Family Law Inn of Court. Middle Georgia Justice is holding its 6th “A Taste for Justice” event on Oct 10th. Congratulations to Chief Judge Rhathelia Stroud, who was recently recognized for 25 years of service to the City of Decatur Municipal Court. The National Judicial College and the Appellate Judges Education Institute are hosting their annual summit November 14-17, 2024. The Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism held a Diminished Capacity, Ethics, and Professionalism CLE and we leave you with their announcement that the nominations for the 25th Annual Justice Robert Benham Awards for Community Service are now open until November 11th.
Call on us anytime. Talk to you in October.
Your JC/AOC Courts Journal team: Michelle Barclay, Noelle Lagueux-Alvarez, Bruce Shaw, and our contractor, John Ramspott