American judge
Leah Ward Sears (née Leah Jeanette Sears;[1] born June 13, 1955) is an American jurist and former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia. Sears was the first African-American female chief justice of a state supreme court in the United States.[2] When she was first appointed as justice in 1992 by Governor Zell Miller, she became the first woman and youngest person to sit on Georgia's Supreme Court.
Early life and education
Leah Ward Sears was born in Heidelberg, Germany to United States Army Colonel Thomas E. Sears and Onnye Jean Sears. The family eventually settled in Savannah, Georgia,[3] where she attended and graduated from Beach High School.
Sears received a B.S. from Cornell University in 1976, her Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law in 1980, and a Master of Laws from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1995. At Cornell, Sears became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority[4] and the Quill and Dagger society. She holds honorary degrees from Morehouse College, Clark-Atlanta University, LaGrange College, Piedmont College, and Spelman College.
Professional career
After graduating from law school, Sears was an attorney from 1980 until 1985 with the Atlanta law firm Alston & Bird. For many years she was also an adjunct Professor of Law at Emory University School of Law. She also taught at the University of Georgia School of Law.[5]
Judicial career
Sears was appointed by Mayor Andrew Young to the City of Atlanta Traffic Court in 1985. She then became a Superior Court judge in 1988, becoming the first African-American woman to hold that position in the state.
Sears was appointed as a state Supreme Court justice in 1992. Twelve years later, in what is historically a non-partisan election, the Georgia Republican Party and Georgia Christian Coalition targeted Sears for defeat in 2004. However, she easily defeated her challenger with 62 percent of the vote, and became Chief Justice of the Court in June 2005.
Sears announced in October 2008 that she would resign from the state Supreme Court at the end of June 2009 when her term as Chief Justice ended.[6]
Academia and private legal practice
Following her resignation from the Court, Sears was named as one of five finalists to become dean of the University of Maryland School of Law.[7] However, in February 2009, Sears withdrew her name from consideration.[8] Sears then taught courses in family law at the University of Georgia Law School and accepted a fellowship at the Institute for American Values.[9]
On May 13, 2009, Sears announced that she would join the Atlanta offices of the law firm Schiff Hardin, with emphasis on appellate work and white-collar crime.[10][11] "I'm going full steam ahead," Sears told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.[11] At the time, Sears was thought to be in consideration for a U.S. Supreme Court vacancy.[10]
On September 16, 2016, Justice Sears announced her move from Schiff Hardin to Smith, Gambrell & Russell, with a focus on appellate litigation and commercial disputes.[12][13] The chairman and managing partner of Smith, Gambrell, Stephen Forte, said: "We are thrilled to have Justice Sears join our firm. Not only is Justice Sears a preeminent attorney and jurist, she also possesses the leadership qualities that enhance the culture and profile or our law firm."[13]
In October 2016, she joined the law firm of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP in Atlanta, Georgia and has served as a partner since then.[14]
In December 2016, Sears was featured in Balancing the Scales, a documentary that explores the history of women in law. Topics range from discrimination to work life balance, what it takes to become a partner in today's firms, and what we need to change for women to break the glass ceiling and really have a seat at the table where society wide decisions are made.[15]
Personal
Sears currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband Haskell Ward, former Deputy Mayor of New York City under Mayor Ed Koch. She is the mother of Addison Sears-Collins and Brennan Sears-Collins. Sears and her first husband, Love Collins III, divorced in 1994.[16]
Sears is friends with Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas, due to their home towns in southeastern Georgia.[17]
Sears supports legally recognizing same-sex marriages.[18]
The Georgia Historical Society holds the Leah Ward Sears papers, a collection that includes clippings, photographs, awards, correspondence, writings authored by Sears, and other materials that date from 1980 to 2009. A 2017 book published by the University of Georgia Press, "Justice Leah Ward Sears: Seizing Serendipity," tells the story of Sears' life.[19]
Judicial Review of Superior Court decisions
During the time that Sears sat as a Superior Court judge, eleven cases in which she rendered a verdict were ultimately reviewed by the Georgia Supreme Court. In three of the eleven cases (or 27% of the time), Sears was reversed.
- Wright v. Robinson (1993). Superior Court Judge Sears had concluded that a medical malpractice claimant can voluntarily dismiss a claim and refile it within six months, even when the later filed claim is untimely. The state Supreme Court reversed.
- Robinson v. State (1991). The Georgia Supreme Court concluded that Superior Court Judge Sears erred by failing to give a "circumstantial evidence" instruction in a case where there was direct evidence of crime, but witness supplying direct evidence had been impeached.
2004 election campaign
In 2004, Sears ran for re-election against challenger Grant Brantley. During the election campaign, Sears was characterized by conservative opponents as an activist judge.[23]
Her campaign raised $553,666 and has spent $264,535.[24]
- Sears: 745,011, or 62.3%
- Brantley: 451,320, or 37.7%[25]
The Sears–Brantley election contest was the first in the state to be conducted under rules that allow opposing candidates to discuss legal issues and each other's records. Until 2004, a restriction existed that forbade discussion of candidates' records or other issues. George Weaver, who tried unsuccessfully to unseat Sears in 1998, brought a successful lawsuit to end that restriction.[23]
