Atlanta, March 15, 2021 – Chief Justice Harold D. Melton will deliver his third – and final – State of the Judiciary address to the Legislature on Tuesday, March 16, at 11 a.m. in the House Chamber of the Georgia State Capitol.

This speech is an annual opportunity to update the legislative branch on the judicial branch – what the courts have accomplished this year and where they are headed. Chief Justice Melton will note that when he delivered the speech a year ago, he did not know that less than three weeks later, he would have to declare a Statewide Judicial Emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that had reached Georgia’s borders.

Chief Justice Melton will thank the legislators, and Gov. Brian Kemp, for their help and support of the judiciary during this historic year and their assistance in meeting the challenges ahead. In particular, he will highlight that Georgia’s judges and courts have been “remarkably resilient, flexible, creative, and committed in their mission to uphold the law and mete out justice fairly and equitably.”

Chief Justice Melton will emphasize that under the Statewide Judicial Emergency, the courts have remained open to deal with critical and “essential” court business. For most of the year, however, jury trials have been suspended due to the number of people involved, the length of trials, and especially due to the number of citizens needed to be summoned for jury selection. “We compel people to come to court,” he will say. “It has therefore been critical that when we
resumed jury trials, we did it right,” to safeguard all the people required to be present for a trial.

The COVID-19 Task Force Chief Justice Melton appointed last May worked diligently on developing those safeguards, and one week ago, Chief Justice Melton for a second time signed an order lifting the suspension of jury trials. “We recognized that we could not suspend them indefinitely, even if the pandemic continued,” he will say. “There are many individuals in jail who have been waiting for more than a year, under the presumption of being innocent until being proven guilty.”

Before jury trials may resume, courts must have written plans in place to ensure that jury trials can be conducted safely in conformity with public health guidance. In his speech, Chief Justice Melton will detail the length to which many courts have gone to ensure the safety of all who come to the courthouse.

The challenge ahead is the backlog of unindicted criminal cases that have been building and that could take two to three years to clear. Judicial leaders have proposed legislation to help get through the backlog and Chief Justice Melton will ask for legislators’ continued support. He will also talk about the toll the pandemic has taken on people’s mental health, resulting in increased instances of drug abuse and suicide. And he will praise a number of judges who have stepped up to lead and help their fellow judges and others through the pandemic, as well as honor those who have died from COVID-19.

Media will receive an embargoed copy of the speech at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. The speech will be live streamed at https://www.gpb.org/lawmakers/2021/state-of-the-judiciary. Media interested in obtaining a copy of the address should contact the Audience Care Team at Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) to request a DVD. Please e-mail your request ask@gpb.org.