

On Thursday, January 27, the Department of Justice Judicial Resident Legal Advisor (JRLA) hosted the fourth in a series of panel discussions of Georgian judge alumni of pre-pandemic study tours. In response to travel restrictions halting study tours, the JRLA instituted these panel discussions for Georgian judges to share their success stories using US practices in Georgian courtrooms. US District Court Judge Virginia Covington moderated a panel of four Georgian criminal judges who addressed how US practices helped them better serve the interests of victims, defendants, and the public. Last month, Ambassador Kelly Degnan provided keynote remarks at a Bench and Bar meeting of judges, defense attorneys, and prosecutors designed to promote continuous trials to relieve calendaring problems, backed up caseloads, and delayed justice. Thursday’s panel discussion built on this theme as approximately 35 judges, law clerks, and judicial students asked questions of Judge Covington and their judicial colleagues to learn how to increase judicial efficiency and bring judicial procedures in line with the US and international best practices.