We are fortunate here in Newton County to have talented, caring and family-oriented people as our legal caretakers.

We were fortunate also to be able to showcase two of them in Sunday’s paper.

Judge Samuel D. Ozburn, who has been nominated by State Sen. John Douglas as a candidate for Georgia Supreme Court Justice, was featured on our front page.

The other Superior Court judge we highlighted was local native Horace Johnson. Judge Johnson has spent his life in our community, and he continues to give of his time and efforts toward ensuring that our community remains the great place he remembers from his youth.

Judge Johnson has been praised by not only those in the legal profession, but also by his peers — the voters of Newton County.

In his interview for a Black History Month profile, Judge Johnson said he grew up in time that was not perfect, but he believed that most folks had good souls.

He is not only a leader in the local black community, but also he is a community leader for all citizens of Newton County.

Judge Johnson would tell you that he is proud of his community. We would tell you that we are proud to have folks like Judge Horace Johnson and Judge Sammy Ozburn as our community leaders.