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Georgia Supreme Court justice vacancy (July 2021)
| Georgia Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Melton vacancy |
| Date: July 1, 2021 |
| Status: Seat filled |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: Verda Colvin |
| Date: July 20, 2021 |
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R) appointed Verda Colvin to the Georgia Supreme Court on July 20, 2021. Colvin succeeded Harold Melton, who retired on July 1, 2021.[1][2] Colvin was Gov. Kemp's third nominee to the nine-member court.
As of July 2021, under Georgia law when an interim vacancy occurred the seat was filled using the assisted appointment method of judicial selection with the governor selecting the interim justice from a slate of candidates provided by the Georgia Judicial Nominating Commission. The commission would recommend at least five candidates to the governor for each judicial vacancy unless fewer than five applicants are found to be qualified. There was no requirement that the governor appoint a candidate from the nominating commission's list.[3]
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the Georgia Supreme Court vacancy:
- An overview of the appointee.
- A list of finalists recommended to the governor.
- An overview of the selection process.
- An overview of the court following the vacancy.
- An overview of the justice who left office.
- A list of other state supreme court appointments in 2021.
The appointee
- See also: Verda Colvin
Verda Colvin has served as a judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals. Colvin was appointed to the court by Republican Governor Brian Kemp on March 27, 2020, and was sworn in on April 10, 2020.[4] Colvin was a judge in the Macon Circuit of the 3rd Superior Court District of Georgia. She was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal (R) on March 24, 2014. Prior to becoming a superior court judge, she was an attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office.[5]
Colvin earned an undergraduate degree from Sweet Briar College. She earned a J.D. from the University of Georgia.[5]
Appointee candidates and nominations
Ballotpedia will post information on candidates and prospective appointees as information becomes available. If you know of information that should be included here, please email us.
Finalists
The Georgia Judicial Nominating Commission recommended six finalists to Gov. Kemp.[6][7]
- Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Verda Colvin
- Lawyer T. Mills Fleming
- Superior Court Judge Aaron B. Mason
- Superior Court Judge Shondeana Crews-Morris
- Georgia Attorney General’s Office Solicitor General Andrew Pinson
- Superior Court Judge Holly Veal
The selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Georgia
At the time of the vacancy, judges were selected using the nonpartisan election of judges system. Judges served six-year terms. When an interim vacancy occurred, the seat was filled using the assisted appointment method of judicial selection with the governor picking the interim justice from a slate provided by the Georgia Judicial Nominating Commission consisting of eighteen members who were appointed by the governor and who served at their pleasure. The commission would recommend at least five candidates to the governor for each judicial vacancy unless fewer than five applicants were found to be qualified. There was no requirement that the governor appoint a candidate from the nominating commission's list.[8]
Makeup of the court
- See also: Georgia Supreme Court
Justices
Following Melton's retirement, the Georgia Supreme Court included the following members:
| ■ Michael P. Boggs | Appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal (R) in 2017 | |
| ■ David Nahmias | Appointed by Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) in 2009 | |
| ■ Nels Peterson | Appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal (R) in 2016 | |
| ■ Charlie Bethel | Appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal (R) in 2018 | |
| ■ John Ellington | Elected in 2018 | |
| ■ Carla W. McMillian | Appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp (R) in 2020 | |
| ■ Sarah Warren | Appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal (R) in 2018 | |
| ■ Shawn LaGrua | Appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp (R) in 2020 |
About the court
Founded in 1845, the Georgia Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has nine judgeships. The current chief of the court is Nels Peterson.
As of July 2025, eight judges on the court were appointed by a Republican governor and one was initially selected in a nonpartisan election.
The Georgia Supreme Court meets in Atlanta, Georgia. The court sits for three terms: the December term (first Monday in December until March 31); the April term (first Monday in April until July 17); and the August term (first Monday in August until November 18).
In Georgia, state supreme court justices are elected in nonpartisan elections. There are 13 states that use this selection method. To read more about the nonpartisan election of judges, click here.
About Chief Justice Melton
- See also: Harold Melton
Chief Justice Melton joined the Georgia Supreme Court in 2005. He was appointed to the court by Governor Sonny Perdue (R).
Before serving on the state supreme court, Melton began his legal career in the Georgia Department of Law, where he eventually went on to serve as section leader of the Consumer Interests Division. He also served as executive counsel to Gov. Perdue.[5]
Melton earned his undergraduate degree from Auburn University and his J.D. from the University of Georgia in 1991.[5]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2021
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2021
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2021. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2020.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Kemp appoints Colvin to fill vacancy on Georgia Supreme Court," July 20, 2021
- ↑ WTVM, "Ga. Supreme Court Chief Justice Melton announces retirement from state’s highest court," February 12, 2021
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Georgia; Judicial Nominating Commissions," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia, "Verda M. Colvin," accessed April 14, 2020
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 The Telegraph, "New judge is a woman of high character and great integrity," March 24, 2014 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "bio" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Georgia Judicial Nominating Commission, " JNC recommends candidates for Georgia Supreme Court ," June 14, 2021
- ↑ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Kemp gets six finalists for upcoming Georgia Supreme Court vacancy," June 14, 2021
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Georgia; Judicial Nominating Commissions," archived October 2, 2014
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Federal courts:
Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Middle District of Georgia, Northern District of Georgia, Southern District of Georgia • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Middle District of Georgia, Northern District of Georgia, Southern District of Georgia
State courts:
Georgia Supreme Court • Georgia Court of Appeals • Georgia Superior Courts • Georgia State Courts • Georgia Business Court • Georgia Tax Court • Georgia Juvenile Courts • Georgia Probate Courts • Georgia Magistrate Courts • Georgia Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Georgia • Georgia judicial elections • Judicial selection in Georgia
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