On behalf of the State Bar of Georgia, I would like to express condolences to the family, colleagues and many friends of Senior U.S. District Judge William C. O'Kelley of Murrayville on his recent passing.

Judge O'Kelley's distinguished career in the legal profession and justice system began in 1952 with his admission to the State Bar of Georgia. He was nominated to the federal court bench by President Richard Nixon and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 1970. He served as chief judge for the Northern District of Georgia from 1988 to 1994 and assumed senior status in 1996.

Prior to his service as a federal judge, he was engaged in the private practice of law in Atlanta and served as an assistant U.S. attorney of the Northern District of Georgia (1959-61) and special hearing officer for the U.S. Department of Justice (1962-68). In the 1980s, he was appointed by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger to the U.S. Foreign Service Intelligence Court.