Governor Perdue Announces Appointment to Georgia Supreme Court

Governor Selects Harold D. Melton for State's Highest Court

ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue announced today the appointment of Harold D. Melton to the Georgia Supreme Court.  Melton will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Norman S. Fletcher.   The vacancy is the first opening on the bench in ten years.  This unique judicial appointment will be the first time a Republican governor has made an appointment to the Supreme Court since 1868 when Governor Rufus B. Bullock selected Justices Joseph E. Brown and H.K. McCay.

“Harold Melton embodies the conservative values that I believe will best serve the state of Georgia on the Supreme Court,” said Governor Sonny Perdue.  “His experience in the courtroom has taught him to approach every decision he makes with integrity and fairness.  Harold Melton shares my philosophy that jurists should apply the constitution and laws passed by the legislative branch, upholding the strict separation of powers that is integral to our government's system of checks and balances.”

“The selection process for this important decision was thorough and seamless,” said Governor Perdue.  “I would like to thank the members of the Judicial Nominating Committee for their diligent efforts to find five highly qualified, extraordinary candidates for this important position.”

A brief biography is provided below:

Harold D. Melton, 38 - Melton currently serves as Executive Counsel — chief legal advisor to Governor Perdue. Prior to joining the Governor's staff, he spent eleven years practicing in the Georgia Department of Law, serving with two Attorneys General. In 1991, Melton joined the Department of Law, serving as an Assistant Attorney General to Michael Bowers in the Fiscal Affairs Division, representing the Georgia Lottery Corporation during the start-up process. In 1995, Melton moved to the Business Finance Section, before becoming a Senior Assistant to the Attorney General in 1997, serving as a Section Leader for Tax. From 1998 to 2002, Melton served as Section Leader in the Consumer Interests Division. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Auburn University and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Georgia in 1991.  Melton, his wife Kim, and their three children live in Atlanta .

Bio Box:

• Born September 25, 1966 in Washington D.C.
• 1988 - graduated from Auburn University
• 1991 - graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law
• Married to Kimberly Melton
• Three children: five year old daughter, sons four and one
• Church: Southwest Christian Fellowship in Atlanta