Newton County Courthouse to be dedicated in honor of the late Judge Johnson on Feb. 5

Georgia Supreme Court Justice Harold Melton to speak at the ceremony

At a ceremony on Feb. 5 2021, the Newton County Courthouse in Covington will officially be renamed in honor of the late Alcovy Circuit Court Superior Court Judge Horace Johnson. The county courthouse in downtown Covington will be closed from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in order for the dedication ceremony that will rename the courthouse Judge Horace J. Johnson Jr. Judicial Center in honor of the judge who served in it for 18 years.

On Friday, senior Alcovy Circuit Superior Court Judge John Ott ordered the closing of the courthouse for the ceremony, noting that the Honorable Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court Harold Melton will speak at the dedication.

“This order will in no way affect any electronic filings in the Superior Court Clerk’s Office,” Ott noted in the order.

Johnson passed away on July 1, 2020 after suffering a cardiac arrest. He had tested positive for COVID-19 two days earlier. Johnson was a Superior Court Judge in the Alcovy Judicial Circuit which serves both Newton and Walton County. Gov. Brian Kemp nominated now Superior Court Judge Cheveda McCamy to replace Johnson in the bench in the Alcovy Circuit.