Henry Superior Court Judge Arch McGarity will retire as chief after 23 years on the bench at the end of the month.
McGarity, who also served two terms as administrative judge for the Sixth Judicial District between July 2010 and July 2014, has been judge for the Henry County Flint Judicial Circuit since he was appointed to the post in 1995 by former Gov. Zell Miller in 1995. He became chief judge in 2007.
The jurist most recently was in the news in July when he denied a motion by Stockbridge to scuttle a vote this fall on Eagle's Landing cityhood. Eagle's Landing, a well-heeled community in Stockbridge's southern end, wants to secede from the city because of issues over services and a desire to boost economic development.
He also in April called for Henry to add a fourth Superior Court judgeship to address the county's growth. He argued before the county's commission that Henry has civil case filings of 1,369 per judge, 14 percent higher than the average for the state.
