Justice Verda Colvin of the Georgia Supreme Court stopped by the Augusta Museum of History on Friday afternoon. Colvin, who has a campaign engagement in Burke County on Saturday, was invited to see Augusta by Walter Clay, owner of Rae’s Coastal Café.
“I was fortunate enough to have Walter Clay reach out to my campaign chairperson and said, ‘hey, we’d love to have Justice Colvin to come to Augusta,’’ said Colvin, who is currently running to maintain her seat on the Georgia Supreme Court in a special election. “I have to work full time while I’m still campaigning throughout the state. So I finally said, ‘I’ve got to go to Augusta.’”
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Though Colvin is on the campaign trail, Clay notes that her brief visit to Augusta was “not a fundraiser” or an official campaign event, but an informal “meet-and-greet.” Colvin connected with several local legal figures, including Judges Ashley Wright and Jesse Stone, as well as Richmond County State Court Judge candidate Ashanti Lilley-Pounds.
Colvin has visited Augusta once before, though she didn’t have time then to see downtown. Her last excursion to the Augusta area was in 2015, to attend the unveiling of the portrait of John H. Ruffin. “He was such an icon that I wanted to pay my respects to him and his family,” she said.
Colvin lauded the warm reception she has received so far, comparing its atmosphere to that of Macon, where she served as a superior court judge and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Middle District of Georgia.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” she said. “A city small enough to still care, and be hospitable to people.”Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering education in Columbia County and
