Carol W. Hunstein

Early life and education Hunstein was born in Miami, Florida, on August 16, 1944, to John C. and Mary Reynolds Wyckoff. By age 23, she was a divorced, single mother who had lost her left leg to cancer. However, she overcame this adversity receiving an Associate's degree from Miami-Dade Community College in 1970, and shortly thereafter a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in 1972. Upon graduation from FAU, Hunstein enrolled in the Stetson University College of Law. In 1976, she received her Juris Doctor, was admitted to the Georgia Bar Association, and subsequently went into private practice.

Career Hunstein moved from Florida to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1976. Having established herself in the legal community by 1984, she ran against four men for election to the Superior Court in DeKalb County and made it into the runoff. During the three-week runoff, for the first time Hunstein began using the slogan “This time, this woman,’’ and upon election became the first female superior court judge in the county. In June 2009, Hunstein was unanimously elected to replace the retiring Leah Ward Sears as chief justice.

Hunstein also served as an adjunct professor at the Emory University School of Law.

Personal life Carol married Ralph J. Hunstein in 1976. They have two daughters (Krista and Gabrielle) and a son from her previous marriage (John Abate).