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Preston Harris Hines (September 6, 1943 – November 4, 2018) was the chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court in the United States for a span which began in 2017 and ended in 2018.


Early years and education

Preston Hines was born on September 6, 1943, in
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, to James and Edith Hawkins Hines and graduated from Henry W. Grady High School. Hines received his bachelor's from
Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...
in 1965 and his J.D. degree from
Emory University School of Law Emory University School of Law is the law school of Emory University, a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. It was founded in 1916 and was the first law school in Georgia to be granted membership in the American Association of Law ...
in 1968.


Legal career

In 1969, after being admitted to the
state bar A state bar association is a bar association that represents or seeks to represent the attorneys practicing law in a particular U.S. state. Their functions differ from state to state, but often include administration of the state bar examination fo ...
, Hines moved to
Cobb County Cobb County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia, and is a core county of the Atlanta metropolitan area in the north-central portion of the state. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 766,149. It is the state's third most populous cou ...
where he worked for a Marietta law firm then named Edwards, Bentley, Awtrey & Parker. He practiced civil defense. The firm represented developers and lenders during a period when the Atlanta suburbs were undergoing rapid growth and economic expansion. The firm also represented the county and several city governments. Hines particularly liked handling business litigation. Looking back at that time, Hines recalled "I wasn’t one of those who always wanted to be a judge".


Judicial career

In 1974, just five years out of law school, friends submitted Hines' name for an opening on the Cobb County State Court. After making the short-list, Hines drove to the state capitol to be interviewed by then-Gov.
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
. Although Hines did not know Carter, or his family, they had friends and backgrounds in common. Hines' father and Carter were both from Sumter County. And "the Hines family farmed near the town of Leslie, not too far from the Carter home and peanut farm in Plains". Carter appointed Hines to the bench in May, 1974. It was a short-term appointment, since the post was coming up for election later that year. Hines had to run in the August
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and then the November
general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...
. He won. Later, when Cobb County created a new position on the county Superior Court, Hines ran for that, and won. On July 26, 1995, Hines was appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court by Governor
Zell Miller Zell Bryan Miller (February 24, 1932 – March 23, 2018) was an American politician who served as the 79th governor of Georgia from 1991 to 1999 and as a United States senator representing the state from 2000 to 2005. He was a member of the Dem ...
. "I’m not going to say I knew the governor" said Hines "But if you’re going to be appointed, you better have somebody who knows something about the governor. I had friends who certainly knew the governor. He was a good guy." Hines was subsequently re-elected by the voters of the state. Hines was elected Chief Justice by his colleagues in September 2016. He announced his intent to retire on August 31, 2018. On April 17, 2018,
Harold Melton Harold David Melton (born September 25, 1966) is a former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia. Early years and education A 1984 graduate of Joseph Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, Melton received a Bachelor of Science from ...
was elected as Hines' successor, and he was sworn in by Hines on September 4, 2018.


Death and legacy

Hines died in a single-car accident on
Interstate 85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, ...
in Atlanta, on November 4, 2018, just over two months after retiring from the bench. His funeral was attended by hundreds, including many prominent members of the Georgia legal community, judiciary, state and federal officials, as well as both the Governor and Governor-elect. He was 75.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hines, Harris 1943 births 2018 deaths Chief justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia (U.S. state) Emory University School of Law alumni Lawyers from Atlanta Justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia (U.S. state) 20th-century Georgia (U.S. state) state court judges 21st-century American judges Road incident deaths in Georgia (U.S. state) People from Cobb County, Georgia