Atlanta, June 24, 2019 – The Supreme Court of Georgia has appointed Superior Court Judge Verda M. Colvin of the Macon Judicial Circuit to the Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC). Judge Colvin replaces Superior Court Judge Louisa Abbot of the Eastern Judicial Circuit in Savannah, whose term ends June 30.

The JQC is the constitutional body that educates Georgia judges about their ethical duties and conducts investigations and hearings regarding judges’ misconduct. Under legislation that took effect in 2017, the JQC now has two separate panels: a seven-member Investigative Panel, which handles the investigative, prosecutorial, and administrative functions of the JQC, and a three-member Hearing Panel, which is responsible for adjudicating formal charges filed against judges by the Investigative Panel and for making recommendations to the Georgia Supreme Court regarding disciplinary and incapacity orders. Judge Colvin has been appointed to the Investigative Panel for a four-year term beginning July 1, 2019.

Judge Colvin, 54, was appointed to the Superior Court in Macon in 2014 by then-Gov. Nathan Deal. She was elected to a full term in 2016 after running unopposed. Prior to becoming a judge, she served for 15 years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Middle District of Georgia. She also has worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Clayton County, as Assistant General Counsel at Clark Atlanta University, and in private practice. Judge Colvin has been honored with a number of awards, including the 2015 Leadership Macon Distinguished Alumni Award as a Community Leader, the 2016 NAACP Drum Major for Justice Award, and the 2019 Tradition of Excellence Award from the State Bar of Georgia’s General Practice and Trial Section. She is an adjunct instructor at Mercer Law School, an Executive Board member of the Gate City Bar’s Judicial Section, a member of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys, a Board member of The Fuller Center of Macon, an Advisory Committee member for Knight Foundation, co-chair of ONEMACON 2.0, and a troop leader for Girl Scout Troop 60022. She and her husband, Nathaniel Walker, are the proud parents of four children.

“The Supreme Court of Georgia supports the work of the JQC, which is critical to upholding the independence and integrity of our State’s judiciary,” Chief Justice Harold D. Melton said in announcing the appointment. “Judge Colvin’s experience, judgment, and leadership ability make her well-suited for this important position, and we greatly appreciate her willingness to serve.”

The Supreme Court’s other appointees to the JQC are Investigative Panel member Judge Stacey K. Hydrick of the State Court of DeKalb County (appointed earlier this month by Gov. Kemp to the DeKalb County Superior Court), and Hearing Panel members Chief Judge Robert C.I. McBurney of the Superior Court of the Atlanta Circuit and attorney Jamela S. McFadden.