Photos: Gov. Nathan Deal's high-profile judicial appointments

Politics

Photos: Gov. Nathan Deal's high-profile judicial appointments

Photos of some of Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal's most notable judicial appointments.

Keith Blackwell is Gov. Nathan Deal's first and so far only appointment to the Georgia Supreme Court. He was elevated from the Georgia Court of Appeals, where he served since 2010, and was 36 when he was tapped to the state's highest court in June 2012.

Todd Markle was Gov. Nathan Deal's executive counsel when he was appointed to the Fulton County Superior Court bench in 2011 and remains a staunch supporter of the governor. He's donated at least $7,600 to Deal's campaign.

Robert McBurney was the go-to guy in the U.S. Attorney's office in Atlanta for cases involving public corruption and terrorism. Gov. Nathan Deal tapped him to serve on the Fulton County Superior Court bench in February 2012 after working nearly a decade with the federal office.

Eleanor Ross was tapped in April 2011 to fill a vacancy on the DeKalb County State Court bench, but she didn't stay long. She was nominated to the U.S. District Court's bench in December 2013 and confirmed about a year later, becoming the first black female jurist in the circuit's history.

Carla Wong McMillian was practicing law when then-Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed her to a Fayette County State Court judgeship. She won re-election in 2012, and in Jan. 2013 was appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal to the Court of Appeals. When she won election in 2014, she became the first Asian-American elected to a statewide office in Georgia.

Michael Boggs is one of the more interesting jurists in Georgia. A former Democratic lawmaker-turned Waycross Superior Court judge, Gov. Nathan Deal picked Boggs to hold an open Court of Appeals seat in December 2011. In December 2013, he was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve on the federal bench, but his bid was blocked by Democrats concerned with some of his legislative votes, including conservative positions on abortion and same-sex marriage.

Larry O'Neal is a staunchly conservative Republican who represented a middle Georgia district since 2001 when he was tapped by Gov. Nathan Deal to serve as an administrative law judge for the Georgia Tax Tribunal. He was former Gov. Sonny Perdue's personal attorney and rose to become the House Majority Leader - the chamber's No. 3 Republican - before he resigned.

Mike Jacobs is a Democrat-turned-Republican legislator who became known as a reliable ally to Gov. Nathan Deal in the state House. He was picked for an open DeKalb County State Court slot shortly after infuriating the party's right flank by insisting on non-discrimination language in a controversial "religious liberty" bill.

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Since taking the reigns of Georgia government in 2011, Gov. Nathan Deal, who is seen here taking the oath of office on Jan. 12, 2015 as he is inaugurated to a second-term, has a made several high-profile appointments of the judiciary. Here's a look at some of the more notable ones.

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