Harris Hines, the recently retired chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, has died.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Hines died after a car crash Sunday that sent him to a hospital, but no further details were immediately released by authorities. Hines was 75.
Current Chief Justice Harold D. Melton confirmed the death in a statement and says all on the court are "shocked and devastated." Melton called Hines "a giant of a man."
The newspaper says Cobb County Solicitor General Barry Morgan also confirmed Hines' death in a social media post.
Hines retired in August from the state's highest court after a long legal career. He was appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court in 1995 by then-Gov. Zell Miller.