CALLAWAY GARDENS, GA (October 15, 2025) — The Georgia Council of State Court Judges has honored Judge R. Vi Bennett of Wayne County with the Ogden Doremus / Kent Lawrence Award, the Council’s highest distinction for a State Court Judge. The award was presented by Judge C. Jean Bolin of McIntosh County, who commended Judge Bennett’s years of dedicated service to the bench and her active involvement in her community, during the Council’s Fall Annual Meeting at Callaway Gardens.
Each year, the Council bestows this award on a judge who has earned exceptional respect from their peers through judicial ethics, professionalism, and community engagement. The award is named for Judge Ogden Doremus, an environmental leader dedicated to protecting Georgia’s coastal estuaries, and Judge Kent Lawrence, the “Father of DUI Accountability Courts”, who helped pioneer innovative approaches to justice and rehabilitation in Georgia’s courts.
Judge Bennett, visibly moved by the recognition, said she was “surprised and humbled” to receive the honor. “Any judicial award I am given is a reflection of the foundation of faith and compassion I received from my family, the education I received in Wayne County and at Brewton-Parker and Mercer University, and the experiences I gained as an Assistant District Attorney in Savannah,” she shared.
