Supreme Court of Georgia
Georgia had no appellate court until 1846. According to Orville Park's History, Georgia was then the only common law jurisdiction in the world with no court for the correction of errors. In those days, the Superior Court judges were indeed gods. The aura lingers yet.
After strenuous efforts by Georgia lawyers - the people generally opposed the court - a three judge Supreme Court opened in 1846. Note that these jurists were designated "judges," not "justices." The title "justice" was frowned upon for many years.
Eugenius Aristides Nisbet of the Macon Bar, who had long advocated such a court, was appointed one of the first judges. He served until 1853. Although a Whig, and a Union man, Nisbet also drafted Georgia's Ordinance of Secession in 1861, as a display of State unity.
The Macon Bar can claim Judge Charles J. McDonald, who served on the court from 1853 to 1859. McDonald had practiced in Macon, and served a term as judge of Bibb Superior Court. He was elected Governor while in Macon, but moved to Marietta after his two terms, and from there was appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court.
The next appointee from the Macon Bar was O. A. Lochrane, who was named Chief Justice in 1871. This appointment was controversial because Lochrane accepted appointment from the carpet bag government. An Irishman by birth, Lochrane had been judge of Bibb Superior Court. He had also married into the illustrious Lamar family, and thereby into Georgia legal society. Lochrane was thus given the benefit of the doubt. It was said that he only took the judgeship to prevent a worse choice. In any event, he served less than two years.
James Jackson of the Macon Bar was appointed to the court in 1875, serving until his death in 1887, the last seven years as Chief Justice. Samuel Hall of Macon was Associate Justice from 1882 to 1887, giving the Macon Bar two representatives on the three member court. T. J. Simmons, a Bibb Superior Court Judge, was named to the Supreme Court in 1888, and served until 1905, the last ten years as Chief Justice.
In the twentieth century, the Macon Bar has been represented on the State Supreme Court by Warren Grice, 1937-1945; Carlton Mobley, 1954-1974; and Benning M. Grice 1961-1975. The last two named each served part of his tenure as Chief Justice.
Chief Justice William Hansel Fish, who served on the court from 1896 to 1922, was born in Macon, and his father practiced law here. Justice Fish never practiced here before his appointment to the Supreme Court, but he returned to Macon as Dean of Mercer's law school when he left the bench.
Frank M. McKenney