Cagle Names First Appointee to New Judicial Watchdog Agency

Georgia’s lieutenant governor has named a former Forsyth County commissioner as one of his two appointments to the state’s newly constituted Judicial Qualifications Commission, which a constitutional amendment passed in November placed under the aegis of the Georgia General Assembly.

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle has appointed Cumming restaurateur Brian Tam, a three-term county commissioner who decided last year not to seek re-election, as his citizen pick. Under legislation passed last year that took effect Jan. 1, the lieutenant governor—for the first time in the JQC’s history—was given two appointees to the seven-member commission, which investigates the state’s judges for ethics infractions and recommends disciplinary action when warranted. His second appointment must be a member of the State Bar of Georgia and can be drawn from a list of recommendations proposed by the bar. Cagle spokesman Adam Sweat said the lieutenant governor, who is also president of the state Senate, has not yet made that appointment.