In a forceful address, Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Nels Peterson used his swearing-in ceremony Tuesday to deliver a full-throated defense of judicial independence and the rule of law — at a time when both are under growing stress.
Peterson didn’t mention President Donald Trump, but his remarks came as the Republican’s administration tests the bounds of legal authority, pushes to consolidate power over courts and moves to punish law firms that have investigated him.
The ceremony drew a bipartisan audience of hundreds of lawmakers, jurists and state leaders. Peterson, who was twice appointed to court posts by then-Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, underscored the fragility of the legal system in an era of distrust.
He described with admiration a judicial system that requires popular majorities to accept outcomes in favor of small minority groups — and the “most powerful of all, the government, to accept and obey limits of government power.”
“What we have had in this country for the last 250 years, as imperfect as it has been — especially here in the South — is so rare,” said Peterson. “Yet we often take it for granted. If we are to continue to improve the many blessings that flow through the rule of law, we cannot continue taking it for granted.”
Peterson was elected by fellow justices in February to lead the state’s highest court shortly after his predecessor, outgoing Chief Justice Michael Boggs, announced plans to retire from the bench. Justice Sarah Hawkins Warren was sworn-in Tuesday as the court’s presiding justice, the court’s second most-senior position.
A former state appeals court judge, Peterson also served as general counsel for the University System of Georgia, as Deal’s executive counsel and as Georgia’s first solicitor general. He was elected to full six-year terms on the court in 2018 and 2024.
Peterson urged the crowd to resist the growing trend of dismissing unfavorable court rulings as illegitimate, and to “do your part to defend the rule of law” in order to build more public confidence in the legal system.
“When you hear about judicial decisions whose outcomes you don’t like, don’t reflexively question their legitimacy. It’s OK to disagree, even protest, but the rule of law cannot survive a public that views as illegitimate any judicial decision with an outcome they don’t like.”
Then Peterson turned to the legal profession.
“If you’re a lawyer, follow the rules. But also be prepared to represent unpopular parties or causes that need representing, even if doing so risks your reputation or practice,” Peterson said.
“And if you’re a judge, stay in your lane — but within that lane, have the courage to fulfill your oath to be truly independent and to decide cases without fear, favor or concern for public opinion.”
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