The newly-formed Columbia County Judicial Circuit celebrated its ceremonial opening Monday afternoon at the courthouse in Evans.
Judges Sheryl Jolly and Wade Padgett flanked Chief Judge James Blanchard.
“We will respect the rights of citizens who seek justice through the judicial process in criminal cases, whether they be victims, witnesses or defendants,” Padgett said. “We will protect the rights of both the victims and those accused of crime.”
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Judge Jolly added, “Our duty as a trial judge is to be fair, impartial and unbiased in following the constitutions and laws of the state of Georgia and the Constitution of the United States. As trial judges, we are not policy-makers. We are followers of the rule of law.”
The new circuit, now the 50th in Georgia, was formed after Gov. Brian Kemp signed off on Senate Bill 9 in March. Sponsored by Sen. Lee Anderson (R-Grovetown), the bill called for Columbia County to split off from the Augusta Judicial Circuit after more than 150 years.
Anderson was among the elected officials who joined family members and friends of the judges attending the ceremony.
Bobby Christine, the county’s first appointed district attorney, spoke about carrying on a partnership he’s shared with Augusta Judicial Circuit attorney Jared Williams.
“When I go into court tomorrow, I’m not going to be making it up out of whole cloth,” Christine said. “I’m going to be carrying files that District Attorney Williams prepared well and we will march into court fully prepared because of the work he’s done.”
Williams said, “I want make sure everyone understands we’ve been working along with District Attorney Christine because we want that office to do well. We want them to succeed and we have every confidence that they will.”
An April 2021 lawsuit filed by attorney Willie Saunders that challenged the judicial split is still to be resolved.
Among the items listed in that suit, Saunders said last year’s election of Jared Williams, an African American attorney, to replace Natalie Paine as the circuit’s district attorney, was the motivation for Senate Bill 9.
The suit also charged the split would create a majority white judicial circuit, which disenfranchises African American voters. According to the suit, that violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
On July 12, Senior Judge Adele Grubbs ruled the split is constitutional and dismissed the suit.
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The plaintiffs, Saunders and the Black Lives Matter Fund, appealed to the state supreme court.
The case is tentatively scheduled for a hearing in November, but the court allowed the split to move forward in the meantime.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com.
