Girardeau, 2 sections earn honors at State Bar of Georgia gathering Senior Superior Court Judge John E. Girardeau of Gainesville was honored with the 2013 Chief Justice Thomas O. Marshall Professionalism Award, presented during the State Bar of Georgia’s annual meeting June 21 in Hilton Head, S.C. Under Girardeau’s leadership, the Hall County Drug Court was formed in 2001. It now serves as a mentor court and is seen as a model throughout the United States and the world. Girardeau is a founding member of Georgia’s Judicial Council Standing Committee on Drug Courts and was instrumental in the development of 52 other drug, DUI, juvenile and family dependency courts across the state.