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Robert Benham (Georgia)
Robert Benham was an associate justice of the nine-member Georgia Supreme Court. He was appointed to the court in December 1989 by Governor Joe Frank Harris (D). Benham retired on March 1, 2020.[1] To learn about the vacancy caused by Benham's retirement, click here.
Benham served as chief justice of the court from 1995 until 2001.
Education
Benham earned his undergraduate degree in political science from Tuskegee University in 1967. He earned his J.D. from the University of Georgia, Lumpkin School of Law in 1970. In 1989, he earned his LL.M. from the University of Virginia. He also attended Harvard University.[2]
Career
After law school, Benham joined the U. S. Army Reserve, and he left the service as a Captain. He began his legal career as a trial attorney for Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc. He later went into private practice. He also became a Special Assistant Attorney General. He was appointed to the Georgia Court of Appeals by Governor Joe Frank Harris on April 3, 1984, where he served until his 1989 appointment to the Georgia Supreme Court.[2]
Elections
2014
- See also: Georgia judicial elections, 2014
Benham ran for re-election to the Georgia Supreme Court. He won without opposition in the general election on May 20, 2014.[3][4]
2008
| Georgia Supreme Court, Associate Justice 2008 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
Robert Benham 
|
2,812,875 | 100% | ||
| Against retention | 0 | 0% | ||
- Click here for 2008 General Election Results from the Georgia Secretary of State.
Benham's campaign raised $513,327.43 and spent $336,450.65 in the course of winning re-election.[5]
Awards and associations
Awards
- One of "100 Most Influential Georgians," Georgia Trend Magazine
- One of "100 Most Influential Blacks in America," Ebony Magazine
- Distinguished Public Service Award, Atlanta Bar Association, Litigation Section
- R. Prudence Herndon Award, Gate City Bar Association
- William Hastie Award, National Bar Association
- Robert Benham Community Service Award, Georgia Bar Association
Associations
- Trustee, Georgia Legal History Foundation
- President, Society for Alternative Dispute Resolution.[6]
- Member, American Judicature Society
- Member, Georgia Bar Foundation
- Member, Governors Business Institute
- Member, Lawyers' Club of Atlanta
- Member, National Association of Court Management
- Member, National Conference of Chief Justices
- Member, National Criminal Justice Association
- Member, Scribes American Society of Writers on Legal Subjects
- Member, Georgia Bar Association, Task Force on the Involvement of Women & Minorities in the Profession
- Member, Georgia Commission on Children & Youth
- Member, Federal-State Jurisdiction Committee
- Member, Governors Southern Business Institute
- Chairman, Judicial Council
- Chairman, Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism
- Former Chairman, Governor's Commission on Drug Awareness & Prevention
- Past President, Bartow County Bar Association
- Former Board Member, Federal Lawyers Association
- Former Board Member, Georgia Association of Trial Lawyers
- Former Vice President, Georgia Conference of Black Lawyers[2]
Political outlook
In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan ideology of state supreme court justices. They created a scoring system in which a score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology, while scores below 0 were more liberal.
Benham received a campaign finance score of -0.03, indicating a liberal ideological leaning. This was more liberal than the average score of 0.09 that justices received in Georgia.
The study was based on data from campaign contributions by the judges themselves, the partisan leaning of those who contributed to the judges' campaigns, or, in the absence of elections, the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice, but an academic summary of various relevant factors.[7]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Justice Benham to retire in March, upending GA Supreme Court race," December 5, 2019
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Supreme Court of Georgia, "Justice Robert Benham," accessed October 1, 2017
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "2014 Qualifying Candidates List," accessed March 19, 2014
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, “Statewide Election Results,” May 20, 2014
- ↑ State of Georgia, "Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report," 2008
- ↑ Shorter College, "Justice Robert Benham to be Featured Speaker at Shorter College's MLK Program"
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
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