11 LC 34
3038
Senate
Resolution 432
By:
Senators Davis of the 22nd and Stone of the 23rd
A
RESOLUTION
Celebrating
the life of Judge John H. Ruffin, Jr., and dedicating a road in his memory; and
for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
the State of Georgia recently lost one of her most distinguished public
servants, innovative legal minds, and civil rights advocate with the passing of
the Honorable John H. Ruffin, Jr.; and
WHEREAS,
Judge John H. Ruffin, Jr., became the 62nd Judge of the Court of Appeals of
Georgia when he was administered the oath of office by Governor Zell Miller on
August 24, 1994, after 33 years of practicing law and serving on the superior
court bench; and
WHEREAS,
Judge Ruffin was born and reared in Waynesboro, Burke County, Georgia, the son
of John H. Ruffin, Sr., and Anna Davis Ruffin, and he was a graduate of
Waynesboro High and Industrial School, Morehouse College, and Howard University
School of Law in Washington, D.C.; and
WHEREAS,
he was admitted to the Georgia Bar on July 5, 1961; and
WHEREAS,
he was appointed a Superior Court Judge of the Augusta Judicial Circuit in 1986
by Governor Joe Frank Harris and he continued to serve as a superior court judge
until his appointment to the Court of Appeals; and
WHEREAS,
in addition to being the first African American Superior Court Judge for the
Augusta Judicial Circuit, Judge Ruffin was also the first African American
member of the Augusta Bar Association, and the third African American and first
African American Chief Judge to serve on the Court of Appeals of Georgia;
and
WHEREAS,
in addition to his membership in the State Bar of Georgia, Judge Ruffin was a
member of the bars of the Supreme Court of Georgia, United States Supreme Court,
United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and United States
District Courts for the Southern and Middle Districts of Georgia;
and
WHEREAS,
Judge Ruffin had many professional, civic and religious affiliations, including:
Council of Superior Court Judges of Georgia; Council of Juvenile Court Judges of
Georgia; Tenth Judicial Administrative District; Chairman, Board of Trustees,
Institute of Continuing Judicial Education; Georgia Commission on Gender Bias;
Court Reform Committee, Governor's Conference on Justice in Georgia; Georgia
Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; Georgia Advisory Council to the Legal
Services Program; Judicial Nominating Commission; Georgia Conference of Black
Lawyers, Inc.; State Bar Judicial Compensation Committee; American Judicature
Society; National Bar Association; American Bar Association; Augusta Bar
Association; and the Atlanta Bar Association; and
WHEREAS,
he was elected Secretary-Treasurer of the Council of Superior Court Judges and
was on track to become the first African American to serve as President of the
Council of Superior Court Judges of Georgia prior to his appointment to the
Court of Appeals; and
WHEREAS,
Judge Ruffin and his beautiful wife, Judith, had one son, Brinkley, and two
grandsons, Bryson and Myles; and
WHEREAS,
Judge Ruffin and his family are members of the Tabernacle Baptist Church in
Augusta; and
WHEREAS,
it is only fitting and proper that a lasting memorial to the life and
outstanding career of Judge John H. Ruffin, Jr., be established.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that the members of
this body celebrate the life and outstanding career and many accomplishments of
Judge John H. Ruffin, Jr., and dedicate the portion of SR 25 beginning at SR 88
to the Burke County line as the Judge John H. Ruffin, Jr. Memorial
Highway.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Department of Transportation is authorized and directed
to erect and maintain appropriate signs dedicating the Judge John H. Ruffin, Jr.
Memorial Highway.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed
to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to the family of Judge John
H. Ruffin, Jr., and the Department of Transportation.