Atlanta, August 12, 2020 – Chief Justice Harold D. Melton announced today that prior to oral arguments on Thursday, Aug. 13, he will swear in Captain Bryan Dayton of the Georgia Army National Guard to the bar of the Supreme Court of Georgia. Capt. Dayton, who is currently stationed in Europe on active duty with the United States Army, is transferring from the Infantry to the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps to serve as an Army lawyer. To make the branch transfer, he is required to earn a certificate of good standing showing that he has been admitted to the highest court of the state.
Capt. Dayton has two sponsors, both of whom will participate in Thursday’s remote swearing-in ceremony. One of his sponsors is Brigadier General Bobby Christine, who is also the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia in Savannah. Brig. Gen. Christine, a one-star general, has the distinction of being the only general officer in the Army National Guard JAG Corps. Capt. Dayton’s second sponsor is Colonel Brian Bischoff, who was recently appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to succeed Brig. Gen. Christine as the State Judge Advocate for the Georgia National Guard.
“On behalf of the Georgia Supreme Court, I am extremely honored to swear in a member of our Georgia National Guard who is serving on active duty overseas,” Chief Justice Melton said. “This will be a first for our Court, and I guess one could say, a bit of a silver lining in this historic era that has introduced us to video technology. It is also a great privilege to have with us Brig. Gen. and U.S. Attorney Bobby Christine and Col. Bischoff, who are acting as sponsors for Capt. Dayton.”
Thursday’s swearing-in of Capt. Dayton will be live-streamed and available for viewing at 10:00 a.m. by going to the Georgia Supreme Court website, www.gasupreme.us.