It was a sad morning for me the day after Thanksgiving upon waking to the news of the death of former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice and former Georgia Court of Appeals Chief Judge George Carley. He was a unique person, full of vigor and passion.

I first met him, sort of, when I argued my first case before the Court of Appeals of Georgia in about 1992. I was a young lawyer then, fresh out of UGA Law. Judge Carley loved mentoring young lawyers, and he practically bled Red and Black. Thus, the table was set for a good day, right? Uh, no. He thought my client’s case was a loser and was not shy in saying so. Judge Carley was always polite, but never shy.