Judicial Nominating Commission Recommends Applicants to Fill Judicial Vacancies

Judicial Nominating Commission Recommends Applicants to Fill Judicial Vacancies

ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue’s Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) has submitted recommendations to fill the vacancies on the Superior Court of the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit, Superior Court of the Coweta Judicial Circuit, Superior Court of the Houston Judicial Circuit, Superior Court of the Paulding Judicial Circuit, Gwinnett County State Court and Toombs County State Court.

The JNC submitted the following recommendations to fill the vacancy on the Superior Court of the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit:

• R. Mark Mahler – Cherokee County Attorney
• Ellen McElyea – Judge, Cherokee County Juvenile Court
• Garry T. Moss – District Attorney, Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit

The JNC submitted the following recommendations to fill the vacancy on the Superior Court of the Coweta Judicial Circuit:

• Louis J. Kirby – Kirby and Roberts Attorneys at Law, LaGrange, Georgia
• Jeannette L. Little – Judge, State Court of Troup County
• David S. McLaughlin – Assistant Attorney General, Georgia Department of Law
• Sandra Heath Taylor – Sole Practitioner, LaGrange, Georgia
• Jeffrey M. Todd – Partner; Louis, Taylor & Todd, PC; Lagrange, Georgia

The JNC submitted the following recommendations to fill the vacancy on the Superior Court of the Houston Judicial Circuit:

• Jeffrey L. Grube – Sole Practitioner, Warner Robins, Georgia
• Katherine K. Lumsden – Chief Assistant District Attorney, Houston Judicial Circuit
• Walter G. Sammons, Jr. – Partner; Sammons and Sammons; Warner Robins, Georgia
• Robert E. Turner – Sole Practitioner, Warner Robins, Georgia

The JNC submitted the following recommendations to fill the vacancy on the Superior Court of the Paulding Judicial Circuit:

• Sandra W. Miller – Juvenile Court Judge, Paulding Judicial Circuit
• Martin Enrique Valbuena – Chief Magistrate Judge, Paulding County
• Kenneth G. Vinson – Partner; Vinson, Talley, Richardson & Cable; Dallas, Georgia

The JNC submitted the following recommendations to fill the vacancy on the Gwinnett County State Court:

• John F. Doran, Jr. – Sole Practitioner, Lawrenceville, Georgia
• Valeria Elbaz Head – Judge, Magistrate Court of Gwinnett County
• George F. Hutchinson, III – Judge, Magistrate Court of Gwinnett County
• Albert L. Norton, Jr. – Sole Practitioner, Norcross, Georgia
• Kenneth M. Sissel – Senior Judge, Magistrate Court of Gwinnett County

The JNC submitted the following recommendations to fill the vacancy on the Toombs County State Court:

Sherri McDonald – Sole Practitioner, Vidalia, Georgia

Tommy J. Smith – Attorney, Tommy J. Smith and Associates, Vidalia, Georgia

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