Chief Justice Harold Melton. (Photo: John Disney/ALM)

Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton plans to highlight advances in the use of technology and lessons learned from the accountability court movement when he delivers his first State of the Judiciary address to a joint session of the Legislature at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Melton will speak in the House Chamber of the Georgia State Capitol. The address will be livestreamed by Georgia Public Broadcasting. The high court's public information director, Jane Hansen, offered a preview of the chief justice's speech.

“I believe we are only on the cusp of the technological change that will transform our courts in the coming years,” Melton plans to say, according to Hansen.

Melton will also offer a new idea for leveraging successes of Georgia's accountability courts, also called specialty, problem-solving and treatment courts. Former Gov. Nathan Deal embraced the idea and offered judges financial incentives if their circuits had at least one court that helps nonviolent offenders avoid jail through compliance with requirements for counseling, community service, employment and steering clear of drugs and alcohol. As a result, accountability courts spread to every circuit in the state during Deal's eight years in office.

“We have enjoyed tremendous success, largely because we try to get to the root cause of the problem to stifle criminal behavior at the source,” Melton plans to say. “If these courts are able to have this kind of success with adults who often have had a lifetime of struggles and bad behavior, can we not have even greater success if we, in our communities, engage earlier in the timeline?”

Melton plans to feature a program at an Atlanta school that shows success from engaging with young people, Hansen said.

The high court's chief typically uses the annual address to update the General Assembly on the judicial branch by showcasing achievements in the past year and challenges ahead, as well as to thank legislators, judges and lawyers for their service.

Melton succeeds his friend and mentor, the late Chief Justice P. Harris Hines, who died in a car crash last November just two months after he had retired from the court. Last year, Hines talked about probation reforms and the power of parental accountability courts to heal families by helping fathers stabilize their lives and work while catching up on child support.

Hines also paid tribute to his colleagues—“bright as a new penny”—and his wife, Helen—“springtime at the Masters.”