In 2009, The Honorable Leah Ward Sears retired from the Supreme Court of Georgia after 27 years of service on the bench. She is currently a partner with the law firm of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.

In 2009, The Honorable Leah Ward Sears retired from the Supreme Court of Georgia after 27 years of service on the bench. She is currently a partner with the law firm of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.

Behind the bench in Georgia's Supreme Court, there is an inscription on the wall. It reads "Fiat justitia ruat caelum". It's Latin for "Let justice be done, though the heavens may fall." While Georgia was one of the last states at the time to establish its high court — in 1846 — there have been many firsts since.

That includes electing the first African-American woman as a Chief Justice, anywhere in the country, in 2005. The Honorable Leah Ward Sears broke a number of other precedents in her climb to the state's highest judicial title, and did not stop there. The now-retired Chief Justice joined On Second Thought to reflect on why she pursued a career in the law, the steep climb from lawyer to judge to the Georgia Supreme Court, and life after stepping down from the bench.

On Second Thought host Virginia Prescott speaks with The Honorable Leah Ward Sears.

 

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Tags: Chief Justice  justices  GA Supreme Court  Leah Ward Sears  supreme court  Georgia Supreme Court  justice  judge