Chief Justice Harold D. Melton Receives the Bar's Highest Honor

• Jurisdiction: Georgia,United States
• Citation: Vol. 27 No. 1 Pg. 0050
• Pages: 0050
• Publication year: 2021

Chief Justice Harold D. Melton Receives the Bar's Highest Honor Vol. 27 No. 1 Pg. 50 Georgia Bar Journal August, 2021

The 2021 Distinguished Service Award was presented to Chief Justice Harold D. Melton at the State Bar’s Annual Meeting for his extensive service to the legal professional, the justice system and the public.

BY ASHLEY G. STOLLAR

Chief Justice Harold D. Melton receives the Distinguished Service Award from 2020-21 President Dawn M. Jones.

PHOTO BY JENNIFER R. MASON

The Distinguished Service Award is the highest honor bestowed by the State Bar of Georgia for conspicuous service to the cause of jurisprudence and to the advancement of the legal profession in the state of Georgia.

During the plenary session of the State Bar’s Annual Meeting at Wild Dunes Resort, Isle of Palms, South Carolina, Supreme Court of Georgia Chief Justice Harold D. Melton was presented with this prestigious award by 2020-21 President Dawn M. Jones.

Melton was honored for his extensive service to the legal system over his 30- year career as an attorney for the State of Georgia, executive counsel to Gov. Sonny Perdue and justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia.

A native of Washington, D.C., Melton was raised in East Point and Marietta, Georgia. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Auburn University where he served as the president of the Student Government Association, the first African-American to hold that role in the school's history. The university's student center is now named in his honor. Melton earned his J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law and was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 1991.

Justice Melton worked for the Georgia Department of Law for 11 years where he dealt with issues ranging from the creation of the Georgia Lottery Corporation to the administration of Georgia's tobacco settlement. He served as executive counsel to Gov. Sonny Perdue, representing the governor on legal issues covering the entire scope of state government, helping safeguard Georgia's interests in water rights...