[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 175 (Monday, November 14, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1138-E1139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING THE HONORABLE J. KEVIN CHASON

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 14, 2022

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a 
distinguished jurist who has served as the Chief Superior Court Judge 
of the South Georgia Judicial Circuit for the past fourteen years, The 
Honorable J. Kevin Chason. His retirement as Chief Judge for the South 
Georgia Judicial Circuit was celebrated on October 20, 2022, at five 
p.m. at the United National Bank in Cairo, Georgia.
  The Honorable J. Kevin Chason was born on August 15, 1962, in Grady 
County, Georgia, to the union of the late Judge Willard H. Chason and 
Carolyn H. Chason. Judge Chason began his educational journey at 
Georgia Southwestern College (now university) earning a Bachelor of 
Science Degree in 1984. He interned with the Georgia Supreme Court in 
the summer of 1985. In 1987, he would follow in his father's footsteps 
by earning his Juris Doctorate from the Mercer University School of 
Law. He would be admitted to the Superior Courts of Georgia on July 3, 
1987.
  After being admitted to the Superior Courts of Georgia, Kevin 
continued to pursue servant leadership within the legal profession as a 
practicing attorney before serving as Solicitor General for the State 
Court of Grady County from 1997 through 2008. In 2008 he ran for and 
was elected to the Superior Court for the South Georgia Circuit. 
Throughout his lifetime, Judge Chason has been revered as a steadfast 
mentor and has had a positive impact on his community. His stellar 
career on the bench has always been modeled by the motto of our great 
state--``Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation.''
  Because of his adherence to these principles, in 2017, he was 
appointed as Chief Judge of The South Georgia Judicial Circuit.
  He also leads by example outside of the courtroom serving on the 
Board of Directors for the Grady Chapter of the American Heart 
Association, and a member of the Bainbridge College Foundation. Judge 
Chason also served as President and a member of the Board of Directors 
of Cairo Rotary Club, the Cairo and Grady County Chamber of Commerce 
and the American Heart Association. A man of faith, Judge Chason also 
serves as a member of the Administrative Board of the First United 
Methodist Church of Cairo.
  It is because of Judge Chason's commitment to his craft and the 
betterment of his community that he has been recognized with numerous 
awards and distinctions to include the 1995 Grady County Young 
Professional of the Year and best judge in Grady County from 2018 
through 2022 as selected by the readers of the Cairo Messenger. A 
Visionary leader, he was one of the founders of the United National 
Bank in Cairo, Georgia
  Former Congresswoman Shirley Chisolm once said that ``Service is the 
rent that we pay for the space that we occupy here on this earth.'' 
Judge Chason has paid his rent many times over and continues to give 
back to the community that molded and shaped him.
  Judge Chason has served countless people and accomplished many things 
throughout his

[[Page E1139]]

life, but none of these could have been possible without his faith, the 
love and support of his wife, Mary, and their two children--Sarah, a 
graduate of Mercer University Medical School and resident doctor in 
Savannah, Georgia and Jonathan, who received his Juris Doctorate from 
the University of Georgia and is a successful law clerk at the Georgia 
State-wide Business Court, following in his father's and grandfather's 
footsteps.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join my wife, Vivian; and me, 
along with the more than 730,000 people of the Second Congressional 
District, in extending our sincerest appreciation and best wishes to 
the Honorable J. Kevin Chason upon the occasion of his retirement from 
his over two decades of service to his community, state and nation. His 
distinguished judicial service has improved the lives of countless 
communities across Georgia by dispensing fairness in the pursuit of 
justice for all.

                          ____________________