Recognizing the Honorable J. Kevin Chason

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a distinguished jurist who has served as the Chief Superior Court Judge of the South Georgia Judicial Circuit for the past fourteen years, The Honorable J. Kevin Chason. His retirement as Chief Judge for the South Georgia Judicial Circuit was celebrated on October 20, 2022, at five p.m. at the United National Bank in Cairo, Georgia.

The Honorable J. Kevin Chason was born on August 15, 1962, in Grady County, Georgia, to the union of the late Judge Willard H. Chason and Carolyn H. Chason. Judge Chason began his educational journey at Georgia Southwestern College (now university) earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1984. He interned with the Georgia Supreme Court in the summer of 1985. In 1987, he would follow in his father's footsteps by earning his Juris Doctorate from the Mercer University School of Law. He would be admitted to the Superior Courts of Georgia on July 3, 1987.

After being admitted to the Superior Courts of Georgia, Kevin continued to pursue servant leadership within the legal profession as a practicing attorney before serving as Solicitor General for the State Court of Grady County from 1997 through 2008. In 2008 he ran for and was elected to the Superior Court for the South Georgia Circuit. Throughout his lifetime, Judge Chason has been revered as a steadfast mentor and has had a positive impact on his community. His stellar career on the bench has always been modeled by the motto of our great state--``Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation.''

Because of his adherence to these principles, in 2017, he was appointed as Chief Judge of The South Georgia Judicial Circuit.

He also leads by example outside of the courtroom serving on the Board of Directors for the Grady Chapter of the American Heart Association, and a member of the Bainbridge College Foundation. Judge Chason also served as President and a member of the Board of Directors of Cairo Rotary Club, the Cairo and Grady County Chamber of Commerce and the American Heart Association. A man of faith, Judge Chason also serves as a member of the Administrative Board of the First United Methodist Church of Cairo.

It is because of Judge Chason's commitment to his craft and the betterment of his community that he has been recognized with numerous awards and distinctions to include the 1995 Grady County Young Professional of the Year and best judge in Grady County from 2018 through 2022 as selected by the readers of the Cairo Messenger. A Visionary leader, he was one of the founders of the United National Bank in Cairo, Georgia

Former Congresswoman Shirley Chisolm once said that ``Service is the rent that we pay for the space that we occupy here on this earth.'' Judge Chason has paid his rent many times over and continues to give back to the community that molded and shaped him.

Judge Chason has served countless people and accomplished many things throughout his life, but none of these could have been possible without his faith, the love and support of his wife, Mary, and their two children--Sarah, a graduate of Mercer University Medical School and resident doctor in Savannah, Georgia and Jonathan, who received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Georgia and is a successful law clerk at the Georgia State-wide Business Court, following in his father's and grandfather's footsteps.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join my wife, Vivian; and me, along with the more than 730,000 people of the Second Congressional District, in extending our sincerest appreciation and best wishes to the Honorable J. Kevin Chason upon the occasion of his retirement from his over two decades of service to his community, state and nation. His distinguished judicial service has improved the lives of countless communities across Georgia by dispensing fairness in the pursuit of justice for all.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source