Judge Seeliger Featured at Family Law Breakfast

Returning to his first courtroom as a sitting judge for the State Court of DeKalb County, The Honorable Clarence F. Seeliger addressed the December breakfast of the DeKalb Bar Family Law Section in what is now the Harrison Room of the Old Decatur Courthouse. He riveted the attendees with a fascinating history of his road to becoming a 24-year veteran of the DeKalb Superior Court bench.Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Judge Seeliger attended college at the University of Washington. After college he joined the Air Force and served in Vietnam. He then decided to move to Georgia to be near his then-girlfriend (and now wife) and attend law school at Emory University. Moving to Georgia also set the stage for Judge Seeliger to follow his desire to become involved in the Civil Rights movement. He recalled that over the years he became involved in many ways, including working on political campaigns for Maynard Jackson and other prominent figures from the Civil Rights era.

Upon graduating from law school, Judge Seeliger opened his law practice in Decatur, accepting criminal defense and family law cases. He reminisced that “1970 Decatur was a very, very different place.” He explained that all the judges were white males and that his attorney colleagues were white and for the most part male. The black attorneys from Atlanta, he explained, would not come to DeKalb County to practice because of its reputation for “home cooking.” He recalled that the legal community in DeKalb County was difficult to break into because it was such a close, tightly knit group.

Judge Seeliger was inspired to run for State Court in 1980 when he appeared before the sitting judge, J. Oscar Mitchell, who acted in an offensive and abusive manner to the young attorney’s pro bono client. He recounted that his client was the first to be charged under the new welfare fraud laws and that Judge Mitchell wanted to send a message to the public that he was tough on welfare fraud. Judge Seeliger told the breakfast attendees that his client was so shaken and upset by the treatment she received from Judge Mitchell that he decided he had to do something about it.

Knowing the odds were against him as a young lawyer running against a well-known incumbent, Judge Seeliger embarked on a campaign to be elected as DeKalb County’s newest State Court judge. With the support of the Atlanta newspapers, Maynard Jackson, and a group of energetic young attorneys, Judge Seeliger was ultimately successful in upsetting Judge Mitchell in a run-off election with 56 percent of the vote. That election, he noted, was the last time an incumbent has ever been defeated in DeKalb County.

Having been elected to the DeKalb State Court bench, Judge Seeliger never forgot his ideals and convictions rooted in the Civil Rights movement. He recalled that the first thing he did upon taking the bench was to hire the first black employee of the DeKalb State Court as his bailiff. Judge Seeliger also shared a story of ceremoniously removing a Confederate flag that had been left behind in his courtroom by his predecessor, Judge Mitchell. To Judge Seeliger, the flag represented racism, which he would not allow in his courtroom.  He knew he had made an impact when a black photographer from the media covering the event thanked him for banishing the flag from his courtroom.

In his third year on the State Court, Judge Seeliger decided to run for the Superior Court bench. In 1984, he was elected to Division 3 and then remained a DeKalb Superior Court judge. During his tenure, Judge Seeliger has focused on the issue of domestic violence. He is currently a member of the Georgia Commission on Family Violence and previously served as its chair for six years. He also served for three years as chair for the DeKalb County Task Force Against Domestic Violence. Additionally, Judge Seeliger was instrumental in drafting a portion of the statute dealing with domestic violence protective orders.

Judge Seeliger expressed his pleasure in sitting as a DeKalb Superior Court judge. He commented that the demographics have changed significantly as he now has a great number of African-American and women attorneys who appear before him. He boasted that DeKalb County has top-notch lawyers. Judge Seeliger particularly complimented those in the domestic relations bar as passionate lawyers who work hard for their clients.

The Family Law Section breakfast meetings are held the first Thursday of every month in the Harrison Room at the Old Courthouse in downtown Decatur. Everyone is invited to attend.