Gov. Nathan Deal will soon have the chance to shape the state's highest court.
On Friday, the governor's Judicial Nominating Commission said 31 judges and lawyers applied for a vacancy that will open up in mid-July when Justice George Carley retires from the Georgia Supreme Court.
Atlanta lawyer Randy Evans, a co-chairman of the nominating commission, said the panel will interview candidates Wednesday during the State Bar of Georgia conference in Savannah. Soon after those interviews, the panel will send Deal its short list of nominees, Evans said.
In October, Carley announced his intention to step down before the end of his term. After he made his announcement, the six other justices on the court voted unanimously to let Carley serve as chief justice for a two-month period. Carley will be sworn in as chief Tuesday.
Metro area judges who applied to succeed Carley include Superior Court Judges Cynthia Becker, Dennis Blackmon, William Ray, Mary Staley and Gail Tusan; State Court Judges David Darden, Ben Studdard, Kathryn Tanksley and Alvin Wong; and Juvenile Court Judge Peggy Walker. Judge Keith Blackwell of the state Court of Appeals also applied.
Metro area attorneys who applied for the appointment include Atlanta lawyers Elizabeth Branch, Michael Lawrence Brown, Heather Smith Michael, Robert Persons, Kenneth Shigley, Matt Wilson and Mark Wortham, as well as Buford lawyer John R. Burdges. Jeffrey Stump of the state Attorney General's Office, Shannon Goessling of the Southeastern Legal Foundation and DeKalb County prosecutor Don Geary also applied.
Radio talk show host Neal Boortz was among more than two dozen who were nominated for the seat but declined to submit an application, the Judicial Nominating Commission said.
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