食色视频

KENNESAW, Ga. | Sep 4, 2025

Inside the chief justice鈥檚 chambers at the Nathan Deal Judicial Center sits a shelf adorned with 食色视频 memorabilia 鈥� miniature football helmets, a stuffed bear, mugs, and awards. These tchotchkes belong to alumnus Nels S.D. Peterson, who in December assumed a lead role in Georgia鈥檚 highest court.

It is also in this room, among others at the judicial center, that Peterson bears the weighty responsibility of precedents that will shape the law for years.

鈥淲e put an enormous amount of effort into every word of an opinion. It takes time to think through all the potential implications,鈥� said Peterson 鈥�01, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia, selected in a unanimous vote of his colleagues.

Every couple of weeks, Peterson and his fellow justices gather around a conference table and decide the fate of up to 100 cases over the course of three to five hours. As chief justice, Peterson steers the ship and writes many of the opinions.

鈥淓very case is a nine-person group project,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat dynamic is virtually different from any other job.鈥�

This level of meticulous care feeds into his philosophy as the new chief justice.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 critically important to remind the public and all the stakeholders of the judicial system what the core of the work is, and it鈥檚 deciding cases impartially through the application of neutral legal standards that apply equally to everybody,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just that consistent, nonheadline-grabbing, day-in and day-out grind of the work that is critical to the proper functioning of the rule of law.鈥�

A career with impact

Peterson鈥檚 new schedule includes administrative work, meetings that involve collaboration with the other branches of state government, and budget matters. Also, there continues to be a significant amount of reading and writing, which usually takes place at night or on the weekends, when there are fewer distractions.

As chief justice, he also chairs the Judicial Council, a group that develops policies to improve the courts.

鈥淚t is always a great honor to be asked to do something like this by your colleagues, because it鈥檚 a role that is absolutely critical to the proper functioning of the rule of law and civilization,鈥� Peterson said.

Despite his busy workload, Peterson still manages to do most of the cooking at home for his wife and two children. He attends church each Sunday, leading Sunday school once a month. He also keeps his passion for interpreting the Georgia Constitution alive with research and writing.

Peterson鈥檚 entry into judgeship was on the Court of Appeals of Georgia in 2016, coming after stints as the executive counsel for then-Gov. Sonny Perdue, as solicitor general for the Georgia Attorney General鈥檚 Office, and as vice chancellor for legal affairs for the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.

Early on in his tenure as justice in 2017, Peterson oversaw the rulemaking process for lawyers and judges of the Supreme Court and all the classes of trial courts, a particularly challenging time during the COVID-19 pandemic with remote proceedings. He was later tasked with serving as the court鈥檚 liaison to the State Bar of Georgia, an arm of the court that regulates around 55,000 lawyers licensed to practice in Georgia.

While he has had a winding career in law, Peterson has worked to be present in each role. That, he says, has led to his success.

鈥淎n enormously important thing about any kind of success in life is being focused on where you are,鈥� Peterson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard sometimes to be present in what you're doing, but if you're not present in the job you鈥檝e got now, you鈥檙e not going to do as well.鈥�

食色视频 shapes future chief justice

The Marietta resident graduated from 食色视频 State with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in political science, and because of the leadership experience he gained as an undergraduate, he was accepted into Harvard Law School.

Originally a computer science major at 食色视频, Peterson took an introductory course to political science his freshman year. His lack of interest in math and his involvement in the Student Government Association (SGA) led to a degree change.

While at 食色视频 State, Peterson served as president of the SGA, chair of the Student Advisory Council to the Board of Regents, and was named 食色视频 Student of the Year and Outstanding Senior in Political Science.

鈥淣els was always a star,鈥� said Kerwin Swint, political science professor at 食色视频. 鈥淵ou know right away when you have him in your class and the minute he starts talking or asking questions, you realize this is an incredibly bright and talented individual.鈥�

Swint remembers Peterson, who took many of his classes, as part of a high-achieving cadre of students that includes John Fuchko, president of Dalton State College and longtime friend of Peterson. As family friends, both with a background as homeschooled students, Peterson and Fuchko have known each other since they were toddlers.

At 食色视频, Fuchko was one year ahead and served as president of the SGA before Peterson took over the role. Together, with an eye for fairness, they also successfully advocated to the Board of Regents and the governor to adopt less onerous admissions requirements for homeschooled students.

鈥淣els was instrumental in getting the Board of Regents to change their policies around home school admissions and to make us more competitive as a system to recruit students from varied educational backgrounds,鈥� Fuchko said.

Fuchko said Peterson鈥檚 career hasn鈥檛 been a surprise, that he鈥檚 gone about each role in a thoughtful way, with concern.

鈥淲hat strikes me about Nels is he's not a flashy guy, not self-aggrandizing in any sort of way,鈥� he said. 鈥淚'm sure he would tell you he struggled with pride as much as the next person, but he really seeks out humility and a servant鈥檚 heart in how he approaches things. I think he鈥檇 tell you his faith is a big piece of that.鈥�

鈥� By Amber Perry

Photos by Darnell Wilburn Jr.

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, 食色视频 offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. 食色视频 State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. 食色视频 State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.