When Georgia Supreme Court Justice Hugh Thompson retired from 45 years on the bench in December 2016, he told the Daily Report’s Kathy Tucker that judges were like tools, their deliberations were like a bag race and that his own success occurred because he happened to be available.

“I think people saw things in me I didn’t realize I had,” Thompson said. “I was always lucky to be standing around on the platform when the train was leaving. I had friends who’d say, ‘Get on board,’ and I’d say ‘OK.’”