Conference Recap
Welcoming Remarks by Presiding Justice Carol W. Hunsteinn
On behalf of the Supreme Court of Georgia and ICJE of Georgia, I am honored to welcome the members of the National Association of State Judicial Educators. As a beneficiary of continuing judicial education, I am grateful for all you do and sincerely hope you enjoy your visit to Georgia. Georgia’s judiciary owes a special “Thank you!” to Rich Reeves, Executive Director of ICJE in Georgia, and his wonderful staff, Sherry Carson, Kathy Mitchem, Lynda Hanscome, Susan Nunnally, and Barbara Teskey.
I know you will enjoy staying in Savannah which is also known as the hostess city of the South. Some call it the most haunted city in America, but perhaps that’s just since they read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Savannah is Georgia’s first city and was founded in 1733 by James Oglethorpe. He laid out a distinctive pattern of streets and public squares, actually small parks. 22 of them remain today, gracing the city with fountains, flowers, live oaks and Spanish moss.
Savannah is a city rich in history. It has many buildings dating from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Historic streets are lined with charming old homes, and the river front area is still paved with cobblestones. Savannah is also the home of Juliette Gordon Lowe, founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States, and that famous Southern author, Flannery O’Connor. Both of their homes are open for tours.
Those of you from Northern climes may find Georgia, especially South Georgia, a bit steamy this time of year. Fortunately, just about everything in our state is air conditioned. Some farm buildings and tractors and even most chicken houses are airconditioned. That, of course, is to keep the chickens from laying boiled eggs. There are those who believe air conditioning is unhealthy and point out that our ancestors got along without it. Don’t forget they all died! But, if you prefer a cool dip to an air-conditioned room, Tybee Island and the ocean are only a few miles away.
In the past 20 years, judicial education has become more and more essential. When I took the bench 1984, cases were tracked in paper docket books, research was done in the law library and documents were prepared with typewriters. Today, we simply turn to our computers and hit a few buttons to see docketing information. We research the law on line, and I don’t know when anyone has actually typed a document right onto the paper! And who introduced us to all that fancy technology and taught us to use it? You did. I saw my first demonstration of computer-aided legal research at an ICJE seminar.
All classes of court benefit from your efforts. Here in Georgia ICJE conducts seminars for judges of the superior, state, juvenile, probate, magistrate and municipal courts and provides training for clerks, law clerks, probation officers, court administrators, administrative law judges, and administrative assistants, as well as for volunteer agents like jury commissioners, foster care review panelists, and lawyer disciplinary hearing officers. They keep us current on everything from rules of evidence to judicial administration to professionalism.
In 1989, I was appointed chair of the Supreme Court Commission on Gender Bias in the Judicial System, which conducted a two-year, in-depth study before making its recommendations to the Supreme Court of Georgia. Since 1999 I have chaired the Commission on Access and Fairness in the Courts (formerly the Commission on Equality), which is charged with implementing the recommendations of the Gender Bias Commission and the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Bias. Who helped us educate the judiciary as to our findings and recommendations? ICJE. They have developed courses on Gender Equality, Racial Equality, Family Violence, and Ethnic Differences, just to name a few.
Recently the Commission on Access and Fairness expanded its scope to encompass access to the courts for the physically or mentally challenged. We make available to the courts a list of qualified sign language interpreters and just published A Handbook for Georgia Court Officials on Courtroom Accessibility for Individuals with Disabilities. Shortly thereafter, Lynda Hanscome invited me to speak at a cross-court ICJE on Access and Disabilities. The seminar will cover individuals with hidden disabilities, the physically and mentally challenged, pro se litigants, all forms of bias, and access issues for immigrants. They’re always on top of things and up-to-date on the latest issues.
Robert Frost said that “Education is the ability to listen to anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.” Who needs that ability more than judges? Thank you for all you do to educate the judiciary.
I hope you have a great visit. There is no lack of things to do here. Savannah has an abundance
of attractions, wonderful restaurants and loads of Southern charm and hospitality so enjoy
yourself in what Margaret Mitchell dubbed “that gently mannered city by the sea.”
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