--- title: HR 687. Lee, Judge William F., Jr.; condolences collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr687 cite_as: HR 687, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr687 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr687.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr687/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71572 date: 2025-03-21 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr686.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr688.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr687.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 687 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-21 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Lynn Smith - David Jenkins - Josh Bonner - Lydia Glaize - Robert Dawson text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR687/2025 upstream_id: 2012791 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - condolence resolution - Georgia judiciary - Coweta Circuit - legislative tribute --- # HR 687. Lee, Judge William F., Jr.; condolences ## Text 25 LC 129 0342 House Resolution 687 By: Representatives Smith of the 70th, Jenkins of the 136th, Bonner of the 73rd, Glaize of the 67th, and Dawson of the 65th A RESOLUTION Honoring the life and memory of Judge William F. Lee Jr.; and for other purposes.1 WHEREAS, the State of Georgia mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished citizens2 with the passing of Judge William F. Lee Jr. on February 7, 2025; and3 WHEREAS, Judge William F. Lee Jr. was born on February 13, 1943, in Fort Bragg, North4 Carolina, a beloved son of William and Martha Lee; and5 WHEREAS, a man of deep and abiding faith, Judge William F. Lee Jr. was a fifth6 generation, active member of Central Baptist Church, in Newnan, Georgia; and7 WHEREAS, he was united in love and marriage to his wife, Emily, and was blessed with two8 remarkable children, Emily and Martha; and three wonderful grandchildren, Sarah, Thomas,9 and Caroline; and10 WHEREAS, a member of the Georgia Bar since 1967, Judge William F. Lee Jr. left an11 indelible mark on the legal community; and 12 H. R. 687 - 1 - 25 LC 129 0342 WHEREAS, in 1980, he was elected Superior Court judge for the Coweta Circuit, where he13 will be remembered for his dedication and commitment as the longest serving superior court14 judge in the circuit; and15 WHEREAS, he gave inspiration to many through his high ideals, morals, and deep concern16 for his fellow citizens, and the devotion, patience, and understanding he demonstrated to his17 family and friends were admired by others; and18 WHEREAS, he was a person of magnanimous strengths with an unimpeachable reputation19 for integrity, intelligence, fairness, and kindness, and by the example he made of his life, he20 made this world a better place in which to live; and21 WHEREAS, a compassionate and generous man, Judge William F. Lee Jr. will long be22 remembered for his love of family, friendship, and community and will be missed by all who23 had the great fortune of knowing him.24 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that25 the members of this body join in honoring the life and memory of Judge William F. Lee Jr.26 and express their deepest and most sincere regret at his passing.27 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized28 and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the29 family of Judge William F. Lee Jr.30 H. R. 687 - 2 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution honors the life of Judge William F. Lee Jr., a longtime Coweta Circuit Superior Court judge who died on February 7, 2025, and offers condolences to his family. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a formal statement from the Georgia House of Representatives honoring the memory of Judge William F. Lee Jr., who died on February 7, 2025. It recounts his life story, including his birth in 1943 in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, his membership in the Georgia Bar since 1967, and his election as Superior Court judge for the Coweta Circuit in 1980, where he became the longest serving superior court judge in the circuit. The resolution does not change any Georgia law. It simply expresses the House's regret at his passing and directs the Clerk of the House to send a copy of the resolution to his family. ### What it does - Formally honors the life and memory of Judge William F. Lee Jr. on behalf of the Georgia House of Representatives. - Expresses the House's deepest and most sincere regret at his passing. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to his family. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulation; it is a ceremonial statement rather than a change to the Georgia Code. ### Who it affects This resolution directly names the family of Judge William F. Lee Jr., including his wife and children, and honors his legacy within the Georgia legal community and the Coweta Circuit Superior Court, but it does not impose duties on the public. ### Why it matters While the resolution carries no legal or financial effect, it creates an official public record of the Georgia House's recognition of Judge Lee's decades of judicial service and provides his family a formal document commemorating his life. ### Key provisions - The preamble recounts Judge Lee's biography, including his birth in 1943, Georgia Bar membership since 1967, and 1980 election as Coweta Circuit Superior Court judge. - The first resolving clause has the House of Representatives join in honoring his life and memory and expressing regret at his passing. - The second resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House to make a copy available for distribution to his family. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-03-21) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-03-21) - Sponsors: Lynn Smith, David Jenkins, Josh Bonner, Lydia Glaize, Robert Dawson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71572 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr687.md?full=1