05/17/2024—Georgia’s Appellate Courts Participate in Security Training for State Judges

Atlanta, May 17, 2024 - Georgia's Supreme Court justices and Court of Appeals judges recently completed personal security and situational awareness training as part of the ongoing efforts of the Judicial Council of Georgia's Standing Committee on Judicial Security.

The training, developed by the Georgia Public Safety Training Center, is being offered to all 1,600 state-level judges in Georgia.

"It has been alarming to see reports from around the country of threats and attacks on state-level judges, with many of those instances occurring outside of the courthouses," Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs said. "While judges in Georgia have protection provided by state and local law enforcement inside their courtrooms, this training focuses on ensuring that judges understand how to better protect themselves and their families at home or out in their communities."

Established in February 2023 by order of the Supreme Court and under the direction of Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs, the Standing Committee on Judicial Security is tasked with identifying and making recommendations to protect the safety and security of Georgia's judiciary. The committee is chaired by Supreme Court Justice Shawn Ellen LaGrua, and Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Brian Rickman serves as its vice chair. It also includes representatives from all classes of court, as well as representatives from the State Bar of Georgia.

The training was administered by GPSTC Director Chris Wigginton and staff. Previous training sessions have included members of the Council of Superior Court Judges, Council of Juvenile Court Judges, and Council of Magistrate Court Judges.

A previous initiative of the Standing Committee on Judicial Security was working with state lawmakers on drafting and passing Senate Bill 508, which allows for the redaction of personal identifying information of judges and their spouses from public records. This law was signed by Gov. Brian Kemp and will go into effect in July 2025.

"My fellow Justices and Judges and I are appreciative of the cooperative work of Georgia legislators who take seriously the safety concerns expressed by our judges, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate with them on future recommendations of the committee," Chief Justice Boggs said.