Kemp appoints top ethics official, prosecutor to Fulton bench

The appointments honor an election result placed in jeopardy by Kemp’s recent decision to elevate a Fulton judge to the Georgia Court of Appeals.

Gov. Brian Kemp has appointed three judges to the Fulton County Superior Court, including the state's top ethics official and a prosecutor in District Attorney Fani Willis' office. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

By Rosie Manins

2 hours ago

A top state ethics official and a prosecutor in the office of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis are among three judges appointed to the county’s highest court by Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday.

David Emadi, the executive secretary of the State Ethics Commission, takes the Fulton County Superior Court seat vacated by Jane Barwick when she retired earlier this year.

Nikia Smith Sellers, a Fulton prosecutor who ousted incumbent Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker in a nonpartisan election last month, has been appointed to fill the vacancy created when Kemp subsequently appointed Whitaker to the Georgia Court of Appeals.

Sellers’ election win had been placed in jeopardy by Whitaker’s recent promotion and the creation of a Superior Court vacancy that Kemp had the authority to fill with the candidate of his choice.

Kemp’s office said Wednesday that Sellers’ appointment recognizes the election result.

The governor also appointed Fulton County Magistrate Court Judge Debbie-Ann Rickman to the Superior Court bench. She fills the vacancy created by the resignation in February of Shermela Williams, who was fighting the state’s attempt to remove her from office for multiple ethics violations.

Williams, still working to clear her name in the misconduct case, has since been hired by Willis as a Fulton prosecutor.

David Emadi, who has led the State Ethics Commission since 2019, was appointed Wednesday to the Fulton County Superior Court. (Miguel Martinez/AJC 2025)

Emadi has led the Ethics Commission since 2019 and has previous experience as a prosecutor in Douglas County. His past work also includes scouting for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team, according to Kemp’s office.

Sellers has spent more than a decade as a Fulton prosecutor. She previously said she challenged Whitaker because she didn’t want to campaign against some of the other Fulton judges she’s had more cases in front of.

Rickman began her legal career as a public defender in Fulton, then became a prosecutor in DeKalb County. She was appointed to the Magistrate Court in 2019.