2 more judicial seats open on federal bench

President-elect Barack Obama has two more judgeships to fill on the federal bench in Atlanta.

U.S. District Court judges Jack Camp and Orinda Evans will take senior status at the end of the year, opening up vacancies on the federal bench.

Already, Judge R. Lanier Anderson of the 11th U.S. Court of Appeals and U.S. District Court Judge Clarence Cooper have announced they will become senior judges early next year. By taking senior status, judges get a reduced caseload.

Evans and Camp said they have greatly enjoyed their time on the federal bench and look forward to serving on it even longer, just with not as many cases to oversee.

Evans, 65, became the first woman to serve as a federal judge in the Northern District of Georgia when President Jimmy Carter put her on the bench in 1979.

“The only regret I have is that it sounds kind of old,” said Evans, with a laugh, of taking senior status. “But I’m looking forward to it.”

Evans presided over the high-profile case against Atlanta lawyer Fredric Tokars, convicted on racketeering charges that included arranging the Nov. 29, 1992, murder of his wife, Sara. Because of sensational pretrial publicity, Evans moved the trial to Birmingham.

Camp, 65, put on the bench by President Ronald Reagan in 1988, will step down as chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Atlanta when he takes senior status. He will be succeeded as chief by Judge Julie Carnes.

“I’ve been on the court now 20 years,” Camp said. “There are some worthwhile things I’ve always wanted to do that maybe I’ll now have the time to do.”

Camp plans to continue overseeing federal cases at the courthouse in Newnan, close to his home, and to continue taking some cases filed in Atlanta.