 Rufe Dorsey Edwards McCombs Maulsby Papers
Collection DescriptionBiographical NoteRufe Dorsey Edwards McCombs Maulsby was born August 14, 1918, in Decatur, GA. Her uncle, Hugh Dorsey, was Governor of Georgia from 1917-1921. In pursuing her childhood dream of studying law, she received a Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia Lumpkin School of Law in 1942, having already passed the bar exam two years earlier. In 1945, Maulsby contracted tuberculosis, which forced her to spend eighteen months in the sanitorium at Rome, GA. Her treatment regimen forced her to leave her career with the US Department of Agriculture. She was not able to return to the practice of law until 1969 when she founded the Columbus, Georgia Legal Aid Society, an organization dedicated to finding affordable legal representation for underprivileged clients. In 1975, Maulsby became the first woman elected to the bench in Georgia when she defeated three candidates in the race for Columbus Municipal Court Judge. Three years later she was elected to the State Court, and finally to the Georgia Superior Court in 1982. She retired from the bench in 1993 and published her memoir, Benched, in 1997. Judge Maulsby passed away on December 29th, 2012 from complications due to a broken hip. Scope and ContentThis collection is composed of six folders of manuscripts and six VHS cassettes. Most of the documents are clippings and correspondence dealing with Judge Maulsby's personal life and childhood. The collection contains an extensive deposition of Judge Maulsby taken for State of Georgia v. Janet Reno, et. al. The video media includes recordings of State v. Brightwell and State v. Patterson, as well as Judge Maulsby's television appearances on Good Morning Atlanta and Court TV. Organization and ArrangementThe files are arranged alphabetically. Administrative InformationAccess RestrictionsThis collection is open for research. Preferred citationRufe Dorsey Edwards McCombs Maulsby Papers. Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641. Copyright InformationBefore material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permissions. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original. Finding Aid PublicationFinding Aid prepared by Robert Lay, 2018-10-24. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject Terms | ||||||||||||||||||||