Justice Hugh Thompson has been unanimously elected by his colleagues to serve as the next presiding justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. He will assume his new role on July 18.

This also means Thompson is next in line to serve as the court's chief justice and will succeed Carol Hunstein when her term as chief ends in 2013. Thompson, a native of Milledgeville, is a former trial judge and was appointed to the state Supreme Court in 1994 by then-Gov. Zell Miller.

About the Author

Keep Reading

(From left) State Election Board member Rick Jeffares, executive director James Mills, vice chair Janice Johnston and member Janelle King listen during an election board meeting at the Capitol in Atlanta on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. The board voted down a proposal to eliminate Georgia’s touchscreen voting system and switch to hand-marked paper ballots. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

Featured

Democrat Eric Gisler celebrated his Tuesday election victory at the Trappeze Pub in Athens, Ga. (AP)

Credit: AP