Credit: ink drop/Adobe Stock Credit: ink drop/Adobe Stock
From judges to corporate general counsel to firm partners, judicial diversity exists among the 14 newcomers handpicked by the governor to help expand the Judicial Nominating Commission of Georgia. But ethnic and gender diversity is also noticeable among the 40% refresh of the JNC, with minorities comprising just under 43%, or six, of the 14 new appointments. Of the 15 total additions, eight are men and seven are women. Click through the slideshow to meet the newly appointed gatekeepers. |

New JNC Members

Tasked with providing shortlists of qualified candidates for the governor's appointment consideration, the one returning and 14 newly appointed members appointed in Kemp's Oct. 26 executive order include: |

  • Augusta attorney Kristi Connell of the Connell Law Firm
  • Georgia-Pacific Senior VP and GC Tye Darland
  • The Trusted Lawyers Desai Law Group managing partner Sheetal Desai
  • Columbia County Juvenile Court Judge Charles Evans
  • Hunter, Maclean, Exley & Dunn partner T. Mills Fleming of Savannah
  • Patrick Flynn, founder of Flynn+Phillips Attorneys at Law in Albany
  • Soo Hong, founding partner at Blevins & Hong of Marietta and Duluth
  • Fayette County Solicitor General Jamie Inagawa
  • Georgia Supreme Court Justice Shawn Ellen LaGrua (returning)
  • Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Ben Land
  • Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders partner Jim Manley
  • Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit Judge Shondeana Morris
  • Haynes Studstill, partner at the Studstill Firm of Nashville and Valdosta
  • Greenberg Traurig shareholder Richard Valladares
  • Flint Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Holly Veal
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'Step in the Right Direction'

Suzanne Ockleberry, Atlanta Ga. Photo by John Disney/ALM Suzanne Ockleberry, Atlanta. (Photo: John Disney/ALM)
"This is a step in the right direction by Gov. Kemp and I think he needs to be commended for doing so," said Suzanne Ockleberry, co-founder of Advocacy for Action, a nonprofit organization of lawyers and judges "concerned about the disappearance of diverse judges from our courts." Ockleberry applauded the diversity seen in the JNC appointments. She pointed out an opportunity existed to further the diversification of Peach State benches, particularly within the state's largest trial court. "The hope is this will result in more diverse judicial appointments across the state but particularly in our Fulton County Superior Court," Ockleberry said. The 15-member expansion to the JNC helps replace five members who stepped down from the commission since their initial appointments in 2019, one of which being Supreme Court of Georgia Justice Shawn LaGrua.
From left: Judge Susan Edlein, Judge Shawn Lagrua, Terri Beck, Jacquelyn H. Saylor, Jonathan Rapping and Melody Richardson. Judge Shawn Lagrua, Celebrating Service Awards 2014. (Photo: John Disney/ALM)
LaGrua had been serving as a Fulton County Superior Court judge when first appointed to the Judicial Nominating Commission by Kemp in 2019, but later resigned to pursue additional judicial opportunities in line with commission protocol. In December 2020, Kemp escalated LaGrua to the state's high court. Before her escalation, LaGrua had been named in two separate JNC shortlists for the position one week apart.

"I am honored to continue serving the state by ensuring that we have the most qualified judges possible," LaGrua said Monday.

Former JNC members Neera Bahl, Elizabeth Beskin and Terry Mack Taylor also resigned from the commission in pursuit of judicial opportunities. Meanwhile, it's not clear why former commission member and attorney John Mrockzo, who practices real estate and probate law, is no longer a part of the Judicial Nominating Commission. |

Existing JNC Members

Like LaGrua, Kemp appointed the existing 20 members of the Judicial Nominating Commission in 2019. Unlike LaGrua, these commissioners have maintained active membership. Co-Chairs Remain Despite the JNC membership expansion, those serving in the head honcho roles hasn't changed. Kemp renamed the same three co-chairs who've served on the commission since 2019: Robbins Firm partner Vincent Russo; Gilbert, Harrell, Sumerford & Martin of counsel and Middleton Public Affairs president Mark Middleton; and Cherokee County District Attorney Shannon Wallace.