Verda Colvin ’87 appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court

Justice Verda Colvin (PC: Capital Beat)


On July 20, 2021, Justice Verda Colvin ’87 was appointed to serve on Georgia’s Supreme Court by Gov. Brian Kemp. This major moment comes on the heels of the governor appointing the Sweet Briar alumna to the busiest appellate court in the country, the Georgia Court of Appeals, in the spring of 2020. This makes Justice Colvin the state’s first African-American woman appointed to the Court of Appeals and then the Supreme Court by a Republican governor.

Before her appointments, she served as superior court judge in the Macon Judicial Circuit in Macon-Bibb County, Ga., and was the first African-American female superior court judge in the circuit. Before her judicial appointments, she served as an assistant U.S. attorney, an assistant district attorney and assistant general counsel at Clarke-Atlanta University.

At Sweet Briar, Justice Colvin double-majored in government and religion and held a variety of leadership positions, including serving as a resident advisor and being a member of several student organizations. After graduating, she attended the University of Georgia School of Law where she earned her Juris Doctor degree.

As a Sweet Briar student, she remarked, “We learned that our job is to be excellent, and we didn’t think in terms of lack — we thought of what we can offer. And that’s phenomenal.” Dedication to excellence in action shines through in her choice of life motto: “I may not be able to do everything, but the fact that I can’t do everything won’t stop me from doing something. Because doing nothing is not an option.”

Indeed, Justice Colvin has much perspective to share. About Sweet Briar’s near-closure several years ago, she said, “Thanks to all those who led and helped the College stay alive. I never believed it would close. It gave women so many gifts.”

Having once been a prospective student herself, she said, “I hope every woman who looks at Sweet Briar will really give it a fair shake. There are so many aspects you don’t get on a co-ed campus.”

And lastly to current students, Justice Colvin said, “Stay the course. You made your choice for certain reasons. Know the decision you made was the right one.”

Thank you to Adair Collins ’98 for contributing to this article.