Bremen lawyer Meng Lim made history when he was elected Georgia’s first Asian-American superior court judge last month.

A Chinese-Cambodian refugee, Lim arrived in Bremen with his family when he was 9 years old. He won scholarships to Emory University and Mercer University College of Law, then returned to Bremen to practice law. On Jan. 1, the 42-year-old will become a judge on the court where he started his law career as a clerk.