Gov. Nathan Deal said Thursday he will name House Majority Leader Larry O'Neal to a judgeship, setting up a battle for the number three spot in the state House.
Deal said he will appoint O’Neal to be the sole judge for the Georgia Tax Tribunal, a two-year-old court program aimed at resolving disputes between taxpayers and the Georgia Department of Revenue. O’Neal will replace Judge Charles Beaudrot, who was paid $142,272.26 in fiscal year 2014, according to state records.
“He was vetted by the Judicial Nominating Commission,” Deal said. “He indicated an interest, and I asked the Commission to review him.”
O’Neal is a former chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees tax law, and is a long-time tax attorney in Middle Georgia.
In a letter to fellow House Republicans this week, O’Neal said, “I am excited about this incredible opportunity yet it is with a very heavy heart that, if this offer occurs, I will be resigning as Majority Leader and as the House member from District 146, effective midnight April 30th, 2015.”
His resignation has set off a scramble to replace him as majority leader, the number three position in the House. Several candidates have already emerged, including Game, Fish & Parks Committee Chairman Jon Burns, R-Newington, and current Republican caucus secretary-treasurer Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon.
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