--- title: SR 79. Beasley, Judge Dorothy Toth; condolences collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr79 cite_as: SR 79, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr79 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr79.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr79/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69747 date: 2025-02-03 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 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/sr78.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr80.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr79.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 79 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-03 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Nan Orrock - Ed Harbison - Emanuel Jones - Brandon Beach - Josh McLaurin - Sonya Halpern - Ed Setzler - Michael Rhett - Sheikh Rahman - Russ Goodman - Max Burns - Bill Cowsert - Kay Kirkpatrick - Jason Esteves - Harold Jones - Frank Ginn - Tonya Anderson - Gail Davenport - Blake Tillery - Sally Harrell - David Lucas - Ricky Williams - Nikki Merritt - Lee Anderson - Sam Watson - Nabilah Islam Parkes - Kenya Wicks text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR79/2025 upstream_id: 1949641 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Georgia judiciary - condolence resolution - Georgia Court of Appeals - women in law --- # SR 79. Beasley, Judge Dorothy Toth; condolences ## Text Senate Resolution 79 By: Senators Orrock of the 36th, Harbison of the 15th, Jones of the 10th, Beach of the 21st, McLaurin of the 14th and others A RESOLUTION Honoring the life and memory of Judge Dorothy Toth Beasley; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the State of Georgia mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished citizens with the passing of Judge Dorothy Toth Beasley on May 19, 2024; and WHEREAS, Judge Dorothy Toth Beasley was born on October 5, 1937, in Passaic, New Jersey, a beloved daughter of Stephen and Beatrice Toth; and WHEREAS, after studying American history and government at St. Lawrence University in New York, she briefly worked at the State Department in Washington, D.C., before attending the American University Washington College of Law, where she was one of only a few females in her class; and WHEREAS, upon her graduation, Judge Dorothy Toth Beasley began her distinguished law career as a clerk in Arlington, Virginia, before becoming an associate at the law firm Shadyac, Berg & Nolen; and WHEREAS, during her tenure at the Georgia Office of the Attorney General, she worked in the criminal division and argued five cases before the United States Supreme Court, including the landmark cases Doe v. Bolton and Furman v. Georgia; and WHEREAS, she further served as a federal prosecutor in the Northern District of Georgia before becoming the first female judge of the Fulton County State Court, where she introduced the county to the concept of community service as a criminal sentence; and WHEREAS, in 1984, she was appointed by then-Governor Joe Frank Harris as the first woman on the Georgia Court of Appeals, becoming the state's first female appellate judge as well as the court's first female chief judge in 1995; and WHEREAS, a dedicated member of her community, Judge Dorothy Toth Beasley served with multiple professional organizations, supported civics education programs, advocated for public health, raised awareness of child sex trafficking, and much more; and WHEREAS, a compassionate and generous woman, Judge Dorothy Toth Beasley will long be remembered for her love of family, friendship, and community and will be missed by all who had the great fortune of knowing her. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body join in honoring the life and memory of Judge Dorothy Toth Beasley and express their deepest and most sincere regret at her passing. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the family of Judge Dorothy Toth Beasley. ## 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 Senate resolution honors the life of Judge Dorothy Toth Beasley, the first woman to serve on the Georgia Court of Appeals, following her death in May 2024. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a formal statement from the Georgia Senate marking the death of Judge Dorothy Toth Beasley on May 19, 2024. It recounts her life, from her birth in New Jersey in 1937 through her legal education and career, including arguing cases before the United States Supreme Court, serving as the first female judge of the Fulton County State Court, and becoming the first woman appointed to the Georgia Court of Appeals in 1984 and its first female chief judge in 1995. The resolution does not change any Georgia law. It simply expresses the Senate's condolences and directs the Secretary of the Senate to send a copy of the resolution to Judge Beasley's family. ### What it does - Formally expresses the Georgia Senate's regret at the death of Judge Dorothy Toth Beasley and honors her life and career. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and send a copy of the resolution to Beasley's family. - Creates no new law, funding, or penalty; it is a ceremonial statement rather than a change to the Georgia Code. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names Judge Dorothy Toth Beasley's family, who will receive a copy, and reflects on her impact on the Georgia judiciary, the Fulton County State Court, the Georgia Court of Appeals, and the Georgia Office of the Attorney General where she once worked. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or financial effect but serves as an official record of the Georgia Senate's recognition of a judge who broke barriers in the state's court system, providing a lasting tribute for her family and the legal community. ### Key provisions - The resolution recounts Beasley's biography, including her 1984 appointment by Governor Joe Frank Harris as the first woman on the Georgia Court of Appeals. - It notes she became the Court of Appeals' first female chief judge in 1995 and was the first female judge of the Fulton County State Court. - The resolving clause has the Senate join in honoring her memory and expressing condolences. - A further clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute a copy of the resolution to her family. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-03) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-02-03) - Sponsors: Nan Orrock, Ed Harbison, Emanuel Jones, Brandon Beach, Josh McLaurin, Sonya Halpern, Ed Setzler, Michael Rhett, Sheikh Rahman, Russ Goodman, Max Burns, Bill Cowsert, Kay Kirkpatrick, Jason Esteves, Harold Jones, Frank Ginn, Tonya Anderson, Gail Davenport, Blake Tillery, Sally Harrell, David Lucas, Ricky Williams, Nikki Merritt, Lee Anderson, Sam Watson, Nabilah Islam Parkes, Kenya Wicks - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69747 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr79.md?full=1