Jurists around metro Atlanta this weekend mourned Elaine Carlisle, a retired Atlanta Municipal Court judge who died after a car accident Friday in Cobb County.

Chief Judge Chris Portis of the municipal court emailed colleagues the news Friday. "I am sending my sincere condolences to her family, friends, and to all of you who had the distinct privilege to serve along her side for many years," he wrote. "I can speak very personally regarding Judge Carlisle's ability to touch and inspire. She was a sharp and strong woman."

"She was a fine jurist and a wonderful woman," former Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears wrote on Facebook. "She will be missed by many."

"She had such a joy for life and will be missed," wrote Senior Judge Gail Tusan of Fulton County Superior Court and JAMS, in response to Sears' post.

The Georgia State Patrol reported that Carlisle, 65, was identified as the driver of a silver Mercedes C300 that failed to maintain its lane going south on the entrance ramp to Interstate 75 South from Interstate 285 East. "The Mercedes left the roadway on the left shoulder, crossed a grass median, and entered the general purpose lanes of I-75 South facing east. The driver's side of the Mercedes was struck by the front of a white Chevrolet Express van which was traveling south in the far right lane. After initial impact, the Mercedes traveled across all southbound lanes and struck the concrete median wall where it came to final rest."

"The driver of the Mercedes was not restrained," the report said, meaning Carlisle was not wearing a seat belt. She died at Kennestone Hospital, where the driver of the Chevrolet van was treated for chest pains from the airbag deployment.

"The crash investigation is ongoing," the patrol reported.

In the 2015-16 Georgia General Assembly, the state House of Representatives honored Carlisle upon her retirement. The resolution stated that Carlisle received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication in 1977 from Howard University, earned her law degree from John Marshall Law School in 1982 and served as an Atlanta Municipal Court Judge for 27 years after seven years' work in the city solicitor's office.

Carlisle wrote "When You Must Go to Municipal Court," an in-service training manual for the Atlanta Police Department and a proposal for a "Drug Free Fulton County," "which helped to establish a comprehensive drug plan as an alternative to institutionalization," the resolution continued.

Carlisle was a member of the Atlanta Alumni Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

The House stated that it was "abundantly fitting and proper that Judge Elaine Carlisle be recognized on the grand occasion of her retirement for the innumerable dedicated hours this accomplished individual has spent serving the citizens of this state."