Before former Chief Justice Harold Melton joined the bench, he said “it never occurred to him to ever think about being a [Georgia] Supreme Court justice,” and when the opportunity came up, he told his then-employer and former Gov. Sonny Perdue, “I would do it, [but] I don’t fit the profile.”

But Melton said it’s “hard to turn down a seat at the table,” and once he was sworn in, he served on the bench for 16 years. “It was better than anything I could have ever hoped for or imagined,” he said. “Going into this very intimidating environment and being able to develop healthy working relationships [with the other justices] where we’re not only colleagues, but now friends, is more rewarding I can express.”