Continuing Coverage
Continuing Coverage

Georgia House votes to name new courts building ‘Nathan Deal Judicial Center’

An artist rendering of the new judicial complex to be built across the street from the Georgia Capitol.
An artist rendering of the new judicial complex to be built across the street from the Georgia Capitol.
By Mark Niesse
Feb 8, 2019

A new building for Georgia’s highest courts could be named after former Gov. Nathan Deal.

The Georgia House of Representatives voted 159-2 on Wednesday to call the nearly completed building the Nathan Deal Judicial Center. Representatives gave a standing ovation after the vote.

Deal, who left office in January after eight years, will be remembered for his criminal justice laws that emphasized treatment and recovery over punishment and hopelessness, said House Speaker David Ralston.

"His greatest legacy is found in the lives of Georgians who have been given a second chance as a result of the criminal justice reforms he has championed," said Ralston, a Republican from Blue Ridge who sponsored the proposal, House Resolution 1.

The resolution will next be considered by the state Senate.

The state courts building, which will house the Georgia Supreme Court and the Georgia Court of Appeals, is scheduled to open in August.

About the Author

Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

Follow Mark Niesse on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

In addition to being a political and religious leader, Bishop Reginald Jackson also served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Morris Brown College. (Ben Gray/AJC)

Credit: Ben Gray

OBITUARY

AME Bishop Reginald Jackson, religious and political leader, dies at 71

Jackson served for eight years as head of 500 African Methodist Episcopal churches in Georgia.

Georgia dismisses Trump election case, ending his last criminal prosecution

Fulton DA Fani Willis launched the investigation nearly five years ago saying Trump and his allies conspired to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.

Fulton County taxpayers could be on the hook for millions as Trump case ends

Fulton County taxpayers may need to pay millions of dollars in legal defense bills for Donald Trump and others charged in the now defunct election interference case.

The Latest

“This case is hereby dismissed in its entirety,” a Superior Court judge ruled in Georgia's election case against President Donald Trump. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)

Credit: NYT

Georgia dismisses Trump election case, ending his last criminal prosecution

Fulton County taxpayers could be on the hook for millions as Trump case ends

OBITUARY

AME Bishop Reginald Jackson, religious and political leader, dies at 71

Featured

Atlanta art and antiques appraiser and auctioneer Allan Baitcher (right) takes bids during a 2020 auction. Baitcher and his company, Peachtree Antiques, are being sued by a Florida multimillionaire who says he paid them $20 million for fakes. (AJC 2020)

Credit: Phil Skinner / Staff

Atlanta antique appraiser made $20M selling fakes, lawsuit says

An Atlanta art and antique appraiser is being sued by a Florida multimillionaire, who says he spent about $20 million on thousands of fake works.

How an ex-Texan and a university helped change the face of a Georgia city

Mercer University President Bill Underwood is stepping down after two decades at the helm. He's credited with boosting enrollment, resurrecting football and reshaping Macon.

Thanksgiving to bring chilly, dry, overall delightful weather to metro Atlanta

A big drop in temperatures is coming overnight Wednesday, so go ahead and pull out those flannels and blankets.