Judge Seeliger To Speak at Sept. 18 Lunch & Learn

Superior Court Judge Clarence F. Seeliger will speak at the Sept. 18 Lunch & Learn session at the DeKalb History Center about the Presidential Parkway and other cases from his career.

The public is invited to this free event. It starts at noon in the old courtroom on the second floor of the the history center, also known as the old DeKalb County Courthouse, at 101 E. Court Square.

The Presidential Parkway was "planned to run from downtown Atlanta to the suburbs east of the city, looping past the [Carter] Presidential library," according to a 1985 Associated Press story about a Seeliger ruling.

Residents fought the route and eventually Freedom Parkway was built as a compromise. Seeliger's rulings earned him a spot in an Atlanta Constitution political cartoon.

Melissa Forgey, executive director of the history center, tells about Seeliger's background.

Judge Seeliger will focus on the 1980s including his elections in 1980 and 1984, the very symbolic yet very real removal of the Confederate battle flag from his courtroom.  We will also learn more about his role in the outcome of the proposed Presidential Parkway.  Seeliger presided over the Presidential Parkway case from 1985 to 1991, which resulted in a settlement and the creation of Freedom Parkway and the park next to the Carter Presidential Library.

 Judge Seeliger is well-known for his involvement in Civil Rights, as well as protection of victims of domestic violence.  He is currently a DeKalb County Superior Court judge in the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit.  He has handled matters seen in any Superior Court including serious criminal matters, domestic relations and other major cases.

Born in Seattle, Wash., in 1940, Seeliger holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington. He served in the United States Air Force from 1963 to 1967 and was a captain upon his release from service.

He holds a Law Degree from Emory University Law School and was admitted to the Bar in 1970. He is married to the former Gwen Hagler and they have two daughters and grandchildren.  He has been honored over the years for his for his work in civil rights and against domestic violence.