Georgia Lawyer Spotlight
| Jurisdiction | Georgia,United States |
| Citation | Vol. 27 No. 1 Pg. 0054 |
| Pages | 0054 |
| Publication year | 2021 |
A Conversation with Chief Justice Harold D. Melton
In this installment of the "Georgia Lawyer Spotlight," Editorial Board Member Jacob E. Daly interviews Chief Justice Harold D. Melton prior to his June 30 retirement from the Supreme Court of Georgia.
BY JACOB E. DALY
Why have you decided to leave the Court at this particular time?
I always knew I probably would not retire on the Court. When I was appointed in 2005, the trend was for governors to appoint younger lawyers as judges. That trend has continued, but it remains to be seen how far we actually go toward retirement. Once I serve as chief, that checks a significant box in terms of what is left to be done in service to this Court. More immediately, starting in the fall I will have all three of my children in college at the same time. Math dictates that I have a little bit more income so I can have a better outcome. I do want to be able to help them and have been able to help them. So now is just a good time.
How do you look back and assess your 16 years on the Court?
Better than I would have expected. Better than I deserved. When I came on the Court, the tone and the concern and the doubt were palpable. I understood. I told the governor that I did not fit the profile of what people were expecting for an appointment to the Supreme Court. Nor did they know me in a way that would give them some degree of comfort. I remember going to Savannah for the State Bar meeting and walking through the Marriott, and I felt the eyes, the stares and the question marks. All of it was fair. What was beautiful and what I value is the protective nature that the Bar has toward the bench in general. They gave me a fair chance, and we developed a really strong working relationship that I value greatly.
Is there anything that stands out about your time on the Court that you're most proud of?
What gets the most attention is the navigation of the pandemic. I am somewhat surprised how well that's received. What it felt like when nobody else was looking was not having any idea what we should do next, bringing smart people on board for several conversations and trying to figure out as best we could what we needed to do. It felt like sometimes we were just commiserating about loss and struggle, commiserating about uncertainty. The reaction that interprets this as leadership in some form or fashion is kind of surprising, but rewarding. I value that experience, not from a sense of pride, but from a sense of fellowship in tough times.
What were the considerations that weighed on you in the last year and a half as you were thinking about how to navigate the pandemic?
A lot of it was abstract, just like with the work that we do in deciding cases. We answer discrete legal questions, and we have to remind ourselves that real lives are involved. So we're thinking about policies and procedures for safety. We could talk about CDC guidelines...
To continue reading
Request your trial