The Good Judge-ment Podcast is an educational, web-based podcast for judges, lawyers, students and nerds of all kinds. The podcast started in 2016 as a supplement to ongoing educational programming for Georgia Superior Court judges. From that beginning, it has grown to a bi-weekly program with hundreds of subscribers and over 125 episodes. The hosts, Judge Wade Padgett (Columbia County Judicial Circuit) and Judge Tain Kell (retired judge formerly in the Cobb County Judicial Circuit) developed the program in response to a request by the Council of Superior Court Judges to supplement the annual Superior Court new judge training program Padgett and Kell had created in 2014. Though initially tailored for Superior Court (i.e., trial court) judges, over time it has gained popularity with judges of all classes of court and has expanded its range of topics to include subjects of interest to other courts. Topics for the podcast range the spectrum of subjects of general interest to judges and others curious about Georgia law. Guests to the program have included many other judges, the Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, and even the First Lady of Georgia. Kell and Padgett incorporate humor into the potentially dry topics for the sake of their audience. They also post outlines for the podcasts at their website, goodjudgepod.com, containing case citations, statutory citations and helpful information to supplement the podcast. Topic suggestions are solicited form the audience. The podcast is available on most internet podcast platforms.
“I want to tell you how much I enjoy the podcast. I have already learned so much and I have totally stolen some of the material for the topics I teach…”
Quinn Kasper, Magistrate Judge
“I am a faithful listener to your podcasts. I have listened to many of them more than once. I particularly enjoyed the episodes on evidence, attorney’s fees, pet peeves, merger in criminal cases, and the latest motions to withdraw a guilty plea. Thank you for the good, and educational service you both do for the citizens of Georgia and beyond. Your humor, professionalism, and vast knowledge keep me listening week after week.”
A listener from South Carolina
“Your podcast(s) are AWESOME. Thank you for your dedication to improving the educational level of judges in our state. You have unlimited energy and knowledge that raises the bar at your expense. I find the podcast very useful.”
Jim Blanchard, Superior Court Judge
“I’m a big fan of the podcast!”
David Sawyer, Attorney
May 2, 2022
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