Long time Chief Judge of the Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit, Michael L. Murphy officially retired on Wednesday. Murphy was first elected as judge in 2000, serving as chief judge since 2002.

Murphy received his undergraduate degree from West Georgia College and his J.D. from the University of Georgia.

Tallapoosa Circuit District Attorney, Jack Browning lamented Murphy’s departure on Wednesday, “I cannot begin to describe what he has meant to me, as a friend and as a mentor. I have never practiced law a single day that he was not my judge or, at least, in the courthouse. In that sense, his departure will leave a lasting void in my daily practice of law that I doubt will ever be filled.”

Murphy was honored at the state bar of Georgia annual meeting with the “Judge of the Year” recognition in 2016.