Chief Justice P. Harris Hines gives the State of the Judiciary address at the State Capitol on Feb. 22, 2018. (Photo: John Disney/ALM)

The Georgia First Amendment Foundation will honor the late former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice P. Harris Hines for his "judicial acumen, wisdom and kindness" at an event this fall.

Hines is this year's winner of the Weltner Freedom of Information Award. He is to be honored at the foundation's annual fundraising banquet at the Silverbell Pavilion of the Emory Conference Center in Atlanta on Oct. 10. Registration and sponsorship information is posted on the foundation's website.

Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton, a close friend and former colleague of the late chief justice, will give the keynote address at the banquet.

In announcing the award for Hines, GFAF President Richard T. Griffiths said, "Chief Justice Hines' legacy of service is an inspiration to all of us who strive to make a difference in the lives of Georgians. We are grateful for his many years of support for the Georgia First Amendment Foundation and look forward to welcoming his family and friends to celebrate of his life and legacy at our 2019 Weltner Banquet."

Griffiths said Hines was a regular at the annual Weltner banquets, named for the late Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles L. Weltner, champion of government transparency. Last year, Hines appeared in a video tribute to the 2018 honoree, Cobb Superior Court Senior Judge James Bodiford, recognized for repeatedly protecting the public's right to courtroom access, even as he presided over some of Georgia's highest-profile criminal cases.

Hines, retired from the bench in August 2018, just before his 75th birthday, as Georgia law requires. He died two months later in a car crash on a downtown Atlanta freeway driving home from church with his wife, Helen, who survived.

Melton called Hines a "giant of a man" in a special statement released after the tragedy. "Because of the love he so freely extended to others, he was loved and cherished by every member of this court, by our staff, and by just about every person who ever met him," Melton said at that time. "For me personally, he was a mentor and one of my dearest friends. My heart is broken."

This year marks the GFAF's 25th anniversary. The group will also honor cofounder, board member and past president Hyde Post for advocacy for open government in Georgia and across the country. Post, a former reporter and editor with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, was inducted into the National Freedom of Information Coalition's Open Government Hall of Fame in April.