Former Fulton judge, Atlanta Council President Marvin Arrington Sr. dies at 82

Caption

Marvin Arrington Sr. during his time on the Fulton County Superior Court bench.

Credit: Fulton County

Marvin S. Arrington Sr., a retired Fulton County Superior Court Judge and former Atlanta City Council president, has died at age 82.

His family said in a statement that Arrington died at home on Wednesday morning surrounded by his loved ones.

“Even in this time of mourning, we are grateful for his loving dedication as a committed father and grandfather, and for his example of a lifetime of service,” the family said in the statement.

The family thanked the community for its prayers and support.

Arrangements will be announced when they are finalized.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said that the title of Arrington’s autobiography, Making My Mark: The Story of a Man Who Wouldn’t Stay in His Place, could not have been more fitting.

“Judge Arrington has passed and Atlanta has lost a lion,” Dickens said in a statement.

The mayor said he couldn’t think of a single person who loved the city more than he loved its people.

“If it is true that love ought to look like something, then Judge Arrington’s love of Atlanta came in the form of working hard to see his hometown grow into its greatness and pushing us to be better, to do better. Yet he never asked more of us than he was willing to give,” Dickens said.

A “Grady Baby,” the Atlanta native graduated from Clark College and later became one of Emory University Law School’s first Black graduates. He served on the Atlanta Board of Aldermen, and later as president of the Atlanta City Council. He was an accomplished lawyer and Superior Court Judge, according to Dicken’s statement.

Dickens sent condolences to his son, Marvin Jr., daughter, Michelle, and the entire Arrington family on behalf of the city.

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Rough Draft Atlanta.