On Friday, Nov. 2, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal announced the appointment of Barton Child Law and Policy Center Executive Director Melissa Carter to the state of Georgia Commission on Family Violence. The commission was created in 1992 by the state legislature to develop a comprehensive state plan for ending family violence in Georgia.

Previously, Carter has served as a state child advocate for Georgia and worked in several capacities for the Supreme Court of Georgia’s Committee on Justice for Children.

Emory Law’s Barton Clinic works for juvenile code reform and serves as a resource for those who work with abused and court-involved children. The clinic advocates improving child protection laws and the code that governs juvenile courts, sentencing and rehabilitation. The center prepares child-advocacy professionals through its three student legal clinics: the Public Policy and Legislative Advocacy Clinic, the Juvenile Defender Clinic and the Appeal for Youth Clinic. All three train attorneys to work effectively in the courtroom and in the creation of fair and sound public policy.