Former Georgia Chief Justice dies of COVID-19

ATLANTA — A former Georgia Supreme Court justice has died of COVID-19, court officials said Friday.

Former Chief Justice George H. Carley died late Thursday night at Emory Decatur Hospital. He was 82 years old.

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Carley was appointed to the Supreme Court of Georgia in 1993 by then-Gov. Zell Miller. He was sworn in in May 2012 as the Chief Justice and served as the leader of Georgia’s judicial system until Dec. 31, 2012.

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Carley was a judge on the Georgia court of appeals from 1979 to 1993.

“Besides his family, he loved two things: the Georgia Bulldogs and the Court,” Chief Justice Harold D. Melton wrote. “A stickler for protocol, he was known for never appearing in public without being ‘properly attired’ in a coat and tie. We are devastated by the loss of Justice Carley, a beloved friend and colleague to so many of us,.

Carley is survived by his wife, Sandy, his son, George H. Carley Jr. and two grandsons.

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