Kemp appoints Colvin to fill vacancy on Georgia Supreme Court

Five years ago, then-Bibb County judge Verda Colvin gave an impassioned lecture in her courtroom to at-risk youth, telling them to “stop acting like trash.” The speech quickly made Colvin an internet sensation because it was captured on video and went viral. On Tuesday, Gov. Brian Kemp appointed Colvin to fill a vacancy on Georgia’s highest court. She will replace Harold Melton, who recently resigned from the state Supreme Court to enter private practice.
“It is an honor to appoint such an experienced and accomplished justice to our state’s Supreme Court,” Kemp said. “With Justice Colvin on the bench, Georgia’s highest court is gaining an immensely talented and principled judge who will help guide it in the years to come.”

Colvin, an Atlanta native, is a former state and federal prosecutor who once sat on the Superior Court bench in Macon. In March 2020, Kemp appointed her to the Georgia Court of Appeals, making her the first Black woman put on that court by a Republican governor. Colvin is also a member of the investigative panel for the state’s judicial watchdog agency.

“The Supreme Court congratulates and welcomes Judge Colvin,” said Chief Justice David Nahmias. “Given her background and experience, including many years as a Court of Appeals and trial court judge, we are confident that she is eminently qualified to serve on the state’s highest court.”