Gov. Brian Kemp named a new judge Tuesday for the Southern Judicial Circuit Superior Court.

Kemp announced Tuesday he has appointed Thomasville prosecutor James "Jim" Prine II to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Harry Jay Altman II. The Southern Judicial Circuit serves Brooks, Colquitt, Echols, Lowndes and Thomas counties.

Altman, 68, stepped down at the end of 2019. Also a Thomasville native, Altman was appointed to the bench in August 1994. He became the Southern Circuit's chief judge in 2009.

"Given Jim's extensive background with the Southern Judicial Circuit, I am confident that he is the right man for this job," Kemp said in a news release. "As a judge, he will prioritize the business of the court and uphold justice, fairness, and proper decorum."

Prine earned his bachelor's degree from Georgia Southern University and J.D. from the Georgia State University College of Law in 2002. After law school, he went to work for Southern Judicial Circuit District Attorney J. David Miller. Miller promoted Prine to senior assistant district attorney in 2016.

Prine is a member of the South Georgia Intelligence Network Law Enforcement Group and Thomas County Bar Association. He earned the Federal Bureau of Investigation's "Director Robert Mueller Recognition for Outstanding Record in the Prosecution of Offenders" in 2006, and he was named the Georgia State Arson Control Board "Prosecutor of the Year" in 2014.

"I would like to thank Judge Harry Jay Altman, II for the many years of faithful service he has given to the citizens of our circuit," Prine said by email Friday. "I would also like to thank Governor Brian Kemp for the appointment to this position."