Judge James Redwine – a U.S. judge with decades of experience as a trial court judge – began his long-term shadowing and mentoring of Georgian judges specialized in civil and administrative cases. 

Based in the Adjara region, over the next six months Judge Redwine will observe civil and administrative judicial proceedings, hold individual meetings with local judges, and introduce judges to topics of American jurisprudence that are important and of interest to them. These activities will take place mainly in the Batumi City Court, but also in regional district and magistrate courts, such as those in Khelvachauri, Kobuleti, Keda, Shuakhevi and Khulo. “Judge Redwine will give general advice to his Georgian colleagues on case management, courtroom operations, communication with parties and advocates, ethical issues, and other matters related to the effectiveness of justice. He will not give legal advice or review the content of cases; his advice on general procedural matters will be designed in a way that avoids influencing the outcome of any case.” - said Mamuka Mamatsashvili, Judicial Exchange Program Coordinator at the USAID Rule of Law Program. 

Judge Redwine already met with the judges and chairmen of the Batumi City Court and the Khelvachauri District Court, where he spoke about the details of his mission in the Adjara region. He also met with U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Kelly C. Degnan on her visit to Batumi, the President of the Constitutional Court Merab Turava, and representatives of the legal community in the region. 

Judge Redwine will also participate in activities planned by the USAID Rule of Law Program to increase the skills of legal professionals in the region by strengthening the newly established Rule of Law Hub in Batumi and supporting focus groups of legal professionals. The Program plans to invite other U.S. judges to conduct similar missions in both Tbilisi and the regions, with American judges expected to begin long-term shadowing in Tbilisi and Rustavi this fall.

About Judge Redwine: Judge Redwine is a member of both the Indiana and Oklahoma Bars and is currently serving as a Special Judge in a matter of tribal jurisdiction. He was a member of the Indiana Judiciary for 40 years (1981-2021) and served as a judge in the Posey County, Indiana Circuit and County Courts. He has taught for the University of Southern Indiana, the Evansville and Posey County Bar Associations, the Indiana Judicial Conference, and the National Judicial College in the areas of trial skills, probate, criminal law, and rural courts. Judge Redwine is an alumnus of the National Judicial College, joined its faculty in 1998, and has taught judges in Reno, Nevada, Ukraine, Russia, Missouri, and South Dakota using the concepts of Total Quality Management and Principled Leadership. Over the years he has designed and delivered numerous “trainings of trainers” for international colleagues aimed at helping develop their skills in mentorship and/or instruction. He is a contributing author by appointment of "the Indiana Supreme Court to Justices of the Indiana Supreme Court," an anthology.