Attorney and Rotarian Dan DeWoskin introduced our keynote spear Justice Pinson.
The Decatur Rotary Club was honored to welcome Georgia Supreme Court Justice Andrew Pinson. Justice Pinson is known for his commitment to judicial restraint and his belief in the limited role of the judiciary. He often wrote opinions that deferred to the legislative branch and criticized judicial activism. In one case, he wrote that "it is not the role of the courts to second-guess the wisdom of the legislature or to impose our own policy preferences."
He spoke about three points in this regard:
1. What is a judge’s job?
a. Their job is to decide on cases. Some interpretation of the law may be done along the way to rule on a case. However, the judge’s job is not to opine on what the law is.
2. What is the goal of the judiciary?
a. A simple, but powerful idea: Uphold the rule of law. All of us are bound by the same laws interpreted in the same ways and applied equally.
b. Good judges leave lawmaking to the lawmakers. A concern is that judges can be partisan politicians hiding behind black robes.
3. How do judges do a good job?
a. Be intentional about putting aside personal views. DO the job in a way that treats people with dignity and respect.
Justice Andrew A. Pinson was appointed to the Supreme Court of Georgia by Governor Brian Kemp and was sworn in on July 20, 2022.
Justice Pinson was born in DeKalb County, Georgia, and grew up in Lithonia and Lawrenceville. In middle school, he moved to Lincolnton, and he graduated from Briarwood Academy in Warrenton.
Justice Pinson is a “Double Dawg” with a finance degree from the University of Georgia’s Terry School of Business and a law degree from the University of Georgia’s Lumpkin School of Law. He graduated at the top of his class in law school and interned with Governor Sonny Perdue, Jones Day in Atlanta, and Fortson, Bentley, & Griffin in Athens.
After graduating from law school, Justice Pinson served as a law clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for then-Chief Judge David B. Sentelle, and later served as a law clerk at the U.S. Supreme Court for Justice Clarence Thomas.
In private practice, Justice Pinson has twice worked for Jones Day, once in Washington D.C., between his two clerkships, and later here in Atlanta, after serving with Justice Clarence Thomas. At Jones Day, he was part of the firm’s issues and appeals Practice, and he handled a broad range of matters in both trial and appeals courts.
In 2017, Justice Pinson joined the office of Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, and in 2018, he was appointed solicitor general for the state of Georgia. As solicitor general, he led the state’s appellate and multi-state litigation practice and served as the attorney general’s chief constitutional advisor. He personally handled high-profile and complex appeals, including in the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and several other courts in Georgia and across the country. And he oversaw matters of special importance to the state in all phases of litigation, including the successful defense of the state’s water resources in the critical “water wars” litigation in the U.S. Supreme Court. Gov. Kemp appointed Justice Pinson to the Court of Appeals in 2021.
Justice Pinson currently serves as an advisor to the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism. He also serves as a Master of the Clarke-Carley Inn of Court and the Bleckley Inn of Court, and he serves on the Advisory Board for the Atlanta Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society.
Justice Pinson and his wife Sara Beth live just north of Tucker in DeKalb County. Sara Beth earned a Ph.D. in poultry science from the University of Georgia and now works for a software company and as a professional dog trainer. They enjoy hiking in the North Georgia mountains and playing dog sports like Frisbee and agility with their three dogs (Nimbus, Goomba, and Elphie). They attend Embry Hills United Methodist Church
Lynn's latest book, The Woman with the Cure, will be available for sale at the meeting.
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