Governor Kemp Announces Six Judicial Appointments

Atlanta, GA – Today, Governor Brian P. Kemp announced his appointment as Judge Verda Colvin to fill the vacant position on the Georgia Supreme Court. Colvin will fill the position created by the resignation of Mr. Harold D. Melton on July 1st.

“It is an honor to appoint such an experienced and accomplished judge to the Supreme Court of our state,” said Governor Kemp. “With Judge Colvin on the bench, Georgia’s highest court has an immensely talented and principled judge to lead it for years to come.”

Judge Verda M. Colvin was appointed to the Georgia Court of Appeals by Governor Brian P. Kemp and sworn in on April 10, 2020. Judge Colvin was the first African American woman in the state to be appointed to the Georgia Court of Appeals by a Republican governor and will become the first African American woman to be appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court by a Republican governor. Her appointment to Superior Court by Governor Nathan Deal on April 16, 2014 made her the first female African American judge in the Macon Judicial District.

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Judge Colvin attended DM Therrell High School in Georgia’s capital. She received her Bachelor of Arts Dual Degree in Government and Religion from Sweet Briar College, Virginia and her Doctorate in Law from the University of Georgia School of Law.

Prior to her appointment to the bank, Judge Colvin was the United States Assistant Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. Prior to serving with the federal government, she was the assistant district attorney in Clayton County, GA. She was also Assistant General Counsel at Clarke-Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA.

In 2019, she was appointed to the Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) by the Georgia Supreme Court. During her tenure as a Supreme Court Justice, she served on the Council of Accountability Court Judges (CACJ) on the Funding Committee and previously chaired the Accountability Court Committee and the CACJ Executive Committee. At the time of her appointment by Governor Kemp, she was co-chair of the CSCJ’s rules committee. She previously served on Governor Nathan Deal’s Criminal Justice Reform Committee and the Law Enforcement Committee. Judge Colvin is a member of several organizations and bodies: Macon Bar Association, American Bar Association (ABA), Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (GABWA), Georgia Association for Women Lawyers (GAWL), Gate City Bar- Judicial Section, William A Bootle American Inn of Court, Charles Weltner Family Inn of Court, Rotary-Downtown Club, Board of Trustees of the Mount de Sales Academy (Board of Directors 2021), Jack and Jill of America-Macon Chapter (Associate), Chisholm Leadership Academy Board of Directors, Board of Directors of the Fuller Center for Housing in Macon (former President 2018-2021), Regional Partnership Council of the Boys and Girls Club of Central Georgia, Community Partnership Board, Co-Chair of ONEMACON 2.0, Standing Judicial Council Committee on Grants, Access to Justice Committee (A2J) member and formerly CSCJ Bench & Bar and Legislative Committees. Judge Colvin is also a member of the Macon-Bibb Citizen Advocacy Board Member (MBCA) and serves as a mentor / attorney. Judge Colvin is a proud 2010 Leadership Macon graduate.

Judge Colvin has received numerous awards and honors including The Young Lawyer Division of the State Bar of Georgia Distinguished Judicial Award (2020-21), The Honorable Debra Bernes Community Volunteer Award (2021) from GAWL (Georgia Association for Women Lawyers), Tradition of Excellence Award as Judge of the General Practice and Trial Section of the State Bar of Georgia (2019), Middle Georgia Association of Women Lawyers as Outstanding Woman Lawyer of the Year (2019), The House of Hope-Women’s History Month Award (2019) , NAACP President’s Award (2018), Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Pearls of Service Award (2017), Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Citizen of the Year (2016 and 2017), Career Women’s Network Woman of Achievement (2016), Georgia Orthodox Missionary Baptist Association Community Service Award (2015) and Leadership Macon’s Robert F. Hatcher Distinguished Alumni Award as church leader (2015). Judge Colvin is also an associate professor at the Mercer School of Law. After all, she is a member of First Baptist Church, where she serves as a Sunday School teacher for children and on the women’s ministry leadership team.

She is also the proud mother of two children, Weston and Taylor. She is married to Nathaniel Walker, with whom she shares two other children.

Governor Brian P. Kemp also announced the appointment of Andrew Pinson to fill the vacant position on the Court of Appeal. Pinson will fill the post created by the appointment of the Honorable Verda Colvin to the Georgia Supreme Court.

Andrew Pinson last worked as Solicitor General in the Federal Prosecutor’s Office. In this role, he oversaw the Office’s appeals and multi-state litigation in state and federal courts. He also worked with fellow attorneys in the Department of Law on all stages of major litigation and advised the Attorney General on matters of national concern that could affect the State of Georgia. He previously served as the assistant attorney general where he was the chief advisor to the attorney general on multi-state litigation and federal appeals, including on cases before the United States Supreme Court. Prior to joining the Department of Law, Andrew was part of the Issues and Appeals Practice at Jones Day in Atlanta, where he focused on appeals and complex litigation. He has represented clients in state and federal courts on matters of constitutional law, law interpretation, federal refusal, open records, family law, product liability, criminal law, patent law, jury law, civil litigation and class actions. Andrew served as a trainee lawyer for Justice Clarence Thomas at the United States Supreme Court and prior to that for then-presiding judge David Sentelle of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Andrew is from Georgia and received a BBA in Finance summa cum laude from the University of Georgia. He received his JD summa cum laude from the University of Georgia School of Law. While at Georgia Law, he served as the Executive Articles Editor for the Georgia Law Review. He is currently a member of the Law School’s Young Alumni / Alumnae Council.

Governor Brian P. Kemp also announced the appointment of Chuck Eaton to fill the vacant Superior Court position at the Atlanta Judicial Circuit. Eaton will fill the position created by the appointment of the Honorable Shawn Ellen LaGrua effective January 7, 2021. The Atlanta Judicial Circuit consists entirely of Fulton County.

Chuck Eaton holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama and a law degree from the University of Georgia State. In 2018 he was elected to the Georgia Public Service Commission for his third term. He was first elected in December 2006. In 2012, after Eaton was re-elected to the commission for a second term, he was named PSC chairman. In 2014, his fellow commissioners elected him for a second term of two years as chairman. In 2008 he was also chairman. Prior to joining the Commission, Eaton worked in real estate in Atlanta.

Eaton is a graduate of the Coverdell Leadership Institute – a statewide organization founded by the late US Senator Paul D. Coverdell to develop leadership and political skills. Eaton lives in Atlanta with his wife Erika, daughters Lydia and Lily, and their two rescue dogs.

Governor Brian P. Kemp also announced the appointment of Judge Rhonda Kreuziger to fill the vacant Superior Court position in the Griffin Judicial District. Kreuziger will fill the position created by the resignation of the Honorable Chris Edwards. The Griffin Judicial Circuit consists of the counties of Spalding, Pike, Fayette and Upson.

Rhonda Kreuziger holds a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern State University and a law degree from John Marshall Law School. She has been an assistant judge at the juvenile court since August 2020. She previously served as the presiding judge of the City Court of Fayetteville from July 2018 to August 2020. From June 2006 to August 2020 she was a criminal lawyer, family lawyer and general advocate for civil procedural law at the Kreuziger law firm. She was Assistant District Attorney for the Griffin Judicial Circuit from September 2002 to October 2003 and from June 2004 to June 2006. Judge Kreuziger lives in Fayetteville.

Governor Brian P. Kemp also announced the appointment of Chaundra Lewis to fill the vacant position on the Henry County State Court. Lewis will fill the position created by the resignation of the Honorable Ben W. Studdard, III, effective March 8, 2020.

Chaundra Lewis holds a bachelor’s degree from Spelman College and a law degree from the University of Memphis. Most recently, she served as Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney in the Henry County Attorney’s Office since October 2020. Previously she was from April 2020 to October 2020 and from March 2017 to. served as Assistant District Attorney in the Henry County District Attorney’s Office in March 2019. Her additional experience includes serving as Assistant Assistant General Solicitor in the Fulton County Attorney General’s Office, Senior Assistant General Solicitor and Deputy Chief Assistant General Solicitor General in the Clayton County Attorney General’s Office and as a personnel attorney on the State Court of Clayton County. She also worked as a one-on-one practitioner in the Chaundra D. Lewis law firm. She lives in McDonough with her husband and three children.

Governor Brian P. Kemp also announced the appointment of Judge Kimberly Alexander to fill the vacant position at Dekalb District Court. Alexander will fill the position created by the resignation of the Honorable Janis Gordon.

Kimberly A. Alexander Most recently, she was a judge in Division C of the DeKalb County State Court-Traffic Division, to which she was appointed by Governor Kemp in 2019. Judge Alexander was born in Augusta, Georgia and graduated from Lakeside High School in Evans, Georgia. Judge Alexander earned a bachelor’s degree cum laude in English from Georgia State University and a doctorate in law from the University of Georgia School of Law. After joining the State Bar of Georgia in November 2004, Judge Alexander immediately entered the civil service as a clerk in Superior Court in Richmond County, Georgia and Columbia County, Georgia. Judge Alexander was previously Assistant County Attorney for the Fulton County Attorney’s Office. In addition, Judge Alexander served as parliamentary and legal advisor to the Fulton County Board of Tax Assessors. Judge Alexander previously served as a legal counsel for the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, represented the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services as an associate at Brown, Geiger & Associates, represented children as a child advocate attorney in Fulton County, and handled legal cases in the field of education as Associate with Brock, Clay, Calhoun & Rogers and served as Assistant Solicitor General in the Cobb County Solicitor General’s Office.

Judge Alexander is a member of the Georgia Bar Association, Children of the Courts Standing Committee, DeKalb Bar Association, Georgia Association for Women Lawyers, Atlanta Bar Association, Gate City Bar Association, and Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys. Judge Alexander is an active and proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and is a board member and an active member of the Stone Mountain Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Judge Alexander and her family live in Decatur.

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