The late Judge Stephen Goss honored with a courthouse portrait

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - A Late member of the Georgia Court of Appeals was honored for his life of service in Dougherty County and Georgia Courts.

A portrait of Judge Stephen Goss was unveiled on Wednesday inside his former courtroom at the Dougherty County Courthouse by Goss’ sister, Barbara Hilliard, and his long-time assistant, Gloria Anderson.

The Dougherty County Bar Association honored Goss, who died in 2019 while serving on the Georgia Court of Appeals.

Goss was a Dougherty County superior court judge before being appointed to the Georgia Court of Appeals in 2018. In 2002, Goss became nationally known for pioneering the Dougherty County Mental Health and Substance Abuse Court, one of the first four pilot programs in the nation.

“He didn’t think everyone was mean-spirited. And everyone was out to commit crimes. But sometimes people with mental illnesses, people with substance abuse problems, sometimes get caught up in criminal activities. When they were not necessarily bad people. And Steve worked to try to set them on the right course,” Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Ken Hodges said.

Judge Goss’ portrait now hangs outside his former courtroom in the Dougherty County Courthouse.

Copyright 2023 WALB. All rights reserved.