(Credit: terovesalainen/Adobe Stock)

A check of Georgia's judicial appointments reveal that, halfway through 2022, Gov. Brian Kemp's judge selections sway heavily white and male. The governor's rate of diverse appointments tracks on trend, with minorities accounting for 29% of active and 14% of senior judicial appointments, as of June 30. According to Kemp's executive orders and press releases, he's made 14 judicial appointments to vacant and newly created state court or higher judgeships to date in 2022. He also has appointed seven retired Georgia judges as senior judges, who may preside throughout the state. Scroll through the slideshow to see who Kemp has appointed to various judicial circuits throughout Georgia during the first half of the year. Per Georgia's Administrative Office of the Courts, the following six appointees have not yet been sworn into their new roles: current Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Andrew Pinson, Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit Judge Ben Land, Muscogee County State Court Judge Benjamin Richardson, Huff, Powell & Bailey litigator Pythias "Pete" Temesgen, Georgia Bureau of Investigations Director Vic Reynolds and Deputy Attorney General Julie Adams Jacobs.

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Gov. Kemp's 2022 Judicial Appointments

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New Judges

Of the 14 publicized judicial appointments, 71% or 10 judgeships went to white jurists, with eight of them being men. Diverse appointments including two Black men, one Black woman and one Hispanic woman made up 29% of Kemp's judicial appointments made so far this year. With 10 of the 14 appointed jurists being men, women accounted for 29% of the judges handpicked by the governor. However, disparities regarding the court levels to which minorities are appointed continue to exist. Of the two appellate appointments Kemp made, both are white men. Meanwhile, at the superior and state court levels, minorities accounted for a third of Kemp's appointments. In addition to appointing a Black woman to the Douglas Judicial Circuit Superior Court, Kemp's elevation of a Black man to the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit Superior Court signified progress. It's the first time the governor has appointed a Black man to an active judgeship at a higher level than state court. Four of the six remaining superior court appointments made by Kemp in 2022 have gone to white jurists. Kemp's selection of a Black man to the Muscogee County State Court and Hispanic woman to the DeKalb County State Court Jury Division accounted for two of six state court appointments this year. The remaining four appointments went to white judges. |

Senior Appointments

Halfway through the year, Kemp also has appointed seven senior judges. Compared to the active judge selections, the senior appointments skew more female at 57%, but far less ethnically diverse.

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Gov. Kemp's 2022 Senior Judicial Appointments

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Of the seven appointed senior judges, all but one are white.