Chief Justice Harold Melton, Supreme Court of Georgia (Photo: John Disney/ALM)

Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton has appointed a group of judges to form an “Ad Hoc Committee to Prevent Sexual Harassment in the Judicial Branch of Government.”

Melton announced the action in a brief news release Friday, saying he has charged the group with “gathering research, examining and evaluating best practices, and encouraging all classes of Georgia courts and court councils to establish policies to prevent sexual harassment.”

The move was well-received on social media over the weekend.

“I am honored to be part of this important effort to prevent sexual harassment within the judicial branch of government,” one of the new committee members, Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Carla Wong McMillian, tweeted. “Kudos to Chief Justice Melton for his leadership in this area.”

Sen. Jen Auer Jordan, D-Atlanta, who has been seeking to establish a similar policy for the legislative branch, retweeted McMillian's statement with this addition: “Important and necessary work.”

Melton noted that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp issued an executive order with the same goal a soon as he took office in January. Kemp's executive order is titled, “Preventing Sexual Harassment in the Executive Branch of Government.”

Also, Melton said the national Conference of Chief Justices recently adopted a resolution supporting awareness and training to prevent workplace harassment in the judicial branch of the government.

Melton said the committee's task will be to write and model policies that “address providing training for judges and employees on sexual harassment and other workplace harassment that is prohibited by law, and they should establish procedures for recognizing harassment and responding to complaints.”

Melton gave the committee a Dec. 31 deadline to present its findings and recommendations to the Judicial Council of Georgia, which the chief justice chairs.

Supreme Court Justice Sarah Warren will chair the new committee. In addition to McMillian, other members include:

• Judge Horace J. Johnson Jr., Superior Court, Alcovy Judicial Circuit
• Judge Dax E. Lopez, State Court, DeKalb County
• Judge Maureen E. Wood, Juvenile Court, Rockdale Judicial Circuit
• Judge T.J. Hudson, Probate Court, Treutlen County
• Chief Judge Joyette Holmes, Magistrate Court, Cobb County
• Judge Matthew McCord, Municipal Court, Stockbridge