Robert Benham (judge) facts for kids

Robert Benham (born September 25, 1946) is a retired American lawyer and jurist, which is an expert in law, like a judge. He served on the Supreme Court of Georgia for more than 30 years before retiring in 2020.

Justice Benham is known for breaking barriers. He was the first African-American to serve on Georgia's Supreme Court. He also became the first African-American to lead the court as its chief justice. His career was filled with important achievements that helped shape Georgia's legal system.

Growing Up and Education

Robert Benham was born in Cartersville, Georgia, and has lived in the state his whole life. He graduated from Summer Hill High School in 1963. After high school, he went on to earn several degrees.

College and Law School

Benham first earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Tuskegee University in 1967. He then went to the University of Georgia School of Law. In 1970, he became one of its first African-American graduates, earning a Juris Doctor, the main degree for a lawyer.

Later, in 1989, he earned a Master of Laws from the University of Virginia. This is an advanced degree for lawyers who want to specialize in a certain area of law.

Early Career in Law

After finishing law school, Benham served in the U.S. Army Reserve and reached the rank of Captain. He then worked as a trial lawyer for a short time before returning to his hometown of Cartersville.

In Cartersville, he started his own law practice. He was the first African American to open a law office in Bartow County. This was a major step for the community at the time.

A Career as a Judge

In 1984, Governor Joe Frank Harris appointed Benham to be a judge on the Georgia Court of Appeals. This court reviews decisions made by trial courts to make sure they were fair.

A year later, he had to be elected by the people of Georgia to keep his position. He won the election, becoming the first African American to win a statewide election in Georgia since the Reconstruction era after the Civil War. He served on the Court of Appeals for five years.

Making History on the Supreme Court

In 1989, Governor Harris appointed Benham to the Supreme Court of Georgia. This made him the first African-American justice to ever serve on the state's highest court. The Supreme Court is the most important court in Georgia, and its decisions affect all other courts in the state.

He won a statewide election in 1990 to keep his seat on the court. He served as an Associate Justice for many years.

Serving as Chief Justice

From 1995 to 2001, Justice Benham served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. As Chief Justice, he was the leader of the court and the entire judicial branch of Georgia's government. He was the first African American to hold this powerful position.

Justice Benham continued to serve on the Supreme Court until he retired on March 1, 2020, after a long and historic career.

Community and Professional Life

Throughout his career, Justice Benham was a member of many legal and community groups. He joined several bar associations, which are organizations for lawyers. He also worked with groups focused on improving the justice system and helping young people.

He is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, a historic African-American fraternity founded in 1906.