Background
Judge Thrash wanted to be a lawyer from his younger days. He grew up in Alabama in the 1950’ s and 1960’ s when society was deeply segregated. He was inspired by Judge Frank M. Johnson— the renowned civil rights era jurist— who showed the powerful and the positive impact the federal judiciary can have. Judge Johnson’ s courageous decisions caused him to be considered by some to be“ the most hated man in Alabama” but that did not dissuade Tom Thrash from following in Judge Johnson’ s footsteps.
Also influential was the biography of Clarence Darrow that Judge Thrash read in high school. Clarence Darrow revealed that being a trial lawyer involved heaps of reading, writing, and arguing— three things that young Tom enjoyed.
I was told by Judge Thrash’ s great friend, Congressman Buddy Darden, that upon graduating High School and moving on to higher education and pursuit his goal of becoming a lawyer, Judge Thrash was certain of one thing— he had to get out of the state of Alabama.
He earned a Jefferson Scholarship to attend the University of Virginia, and from there, he obtained his law degree from Harvard School of Law.
Judge Thrash wanted to return to his native south to practice law, but he needed to decide where. He chose Georgia because its more progressive political system pointed towards the future rather than being rooted in the past.
So Judge Thrash moved to Atlanta to begin his career.
He spent a year in private practice while seeking a job with the Fulton County District Attorney’ s Office, which was headed then by Lewis Slaton. District Attorney Slaton expressed a reluctance to hire Harvard law grads because he thought they were just looking to build their resumes and would leave after a short time on the job.
But Judge Thrash was persistent and after the third or fourth try, Lewis Slaton finally relented and hired him as an Assistant District Attorney.
Judge Thrash spent the next three years trying cases in Fulton County— oftentimes before Judge Charles Weltner, another legendary jurist from the civil rights era who later became Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court.
But by far, Tom Thrash’ s most successful accomplishment during his tenure at the District Attorney’ s office was meeting his future wife, Meg, who was also an Assistant District Attorney. The Thrashes have been married for 44 years and are the proud parents of Maggie and Drew.
IN THE PROFESSION
With his courtroom experience, Judge Thrash left the DA’ s office after three years and joined a plaintiff’ s firm that became known as Finch, McCranie, Brown, and Thrash. For the next seventeen years, he represented and advocated for the rights of injured persons.
Judge Thrash’ s Appointment and Service
At the recommendation of Senator Sam Nunn, President Bill Clinton nominated Judge Thrash to the federal bench in May 1996. That began a lengthy confirmation process that was interrupted by the presidential election campaign in the fall of 1996. After President Clinton was re-elected, he nominated Judge Thrash again, this time at the recommendation of Senator Max Cleland, and he was confirmed by the senate at the end of July 1997.
Judge Thrash’ s steadfastness during that elongated confirmation period is a testament to his persistence, his perseverance, and his tenacity.
And on August 1, 1997, Judge Thrash received what he described as“ the highest honor of his life” when he took office as a United States District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia.
I’ ve been told it’ s not uncommon that the new judge gets the cases the other sitting judges might want to sidestep.
And on Judge Thrash’ s first day, he was assigned a case involving the Chattahoochee River and Atlanta’ s ailing sewer system. The claims were that the city was wrongfully discharging pollutants into the Chattahoochee River.
Judge Thrash presided over this highly charged case and after he issued a comprehensive order on summary judgment, the parties ultimately agreed to a long-term consent decree requiring Atlanta to overhaul the city’ s entire sewer system.
Beginning with that case and continuing now, Judge Thrash brings to the bench every day his determination to serve the Court and the public with what his colleague, Judge Julie Carnes, describes as“ every inch of intellect, judgment, and energy he can muster.” Judge Thrash has never shied away from difficult or high-profile cases and has established a reputation as someone who is both willing to handle— and is exceedingly capable of handling— Multidistrict Litigation where thousands of individual cases are consolidated before one Judge in one court.
Judge Thrash’ s introduction to Multidistrict Litigation inauspiciously began when one day, as a newly minted judge, he entered his chambers to find then Chief Judge Ernest Tidwell waiting for him. Judge Tidwell said the Northern District had been assigned a Multidistrict
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