Georgia Supreme Court Nominees

This Tuesday, I had a mostly pleasant interview with the Georgia Judicial Nominating Commission. Friends had submitted my name for a vacancy on the Supreme Court of Georgia, and duly flattered I went through the process.

However, I went into it expecting nothing, and was not disappointed when that’s exactly what I got.

I now extend my heartfelt congratulations to the nine judges and lawyers who did make the short list, from which Governor Perdue will select one new member of the Supreme Court. I wish them all well. They are, in no particular order:

– David E. Nahmias – U.S. Attorney; Northern District of Georgia, who was on Harvard Law Review, clerked for Justice Scalia, practiced at Hogan & Hartson in Washington, and was US Deputy Attorney General responsible for counterterrorism and fraud prosecutions.

– Samuel D. Ozburn –Superior Court Judge; Alcovy Judicial Circuit

– William M. Ray II – Superior Court Judge; Gwinnett County

– Craig L. Schwall Sr. – Superior Court Judge; Fulton County

– Mary E. Staley – Superior Court Judge; Cobb County

– Benjamin W. Studdard III – State Court Chief Judge; Henry County

– Rocco E. Testani – Partner, Sutherland Asbill & Brennan; Atlanta, who has recently worked on litigation in which the Governor has been involved.

– Stephen Louis A. Dillard – Of Counsel, James, Bates, Pope & Spivey; Macon, and founder of the Macon chapter of the Federalist Society.

– James P. Kelly III – Managing partner of Kelly Law Firm; Atlanta, and Director of International Affairs for the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies based in Washington, D.C.

After the brief distraction of a purely quixotic fantasy of joining the Supreme Court, I immediately returned to vigorously representing clients — Wednesday in a mediation and later trial preparation, and Thursday poring through a roomful of DOT highway design and construction documents.

Ken Shigley is a trial attorney in Atlanta, Georgia who has been listed among the “Legal Elite” (Georgia Trend Magazine), as a “Super Lawyer” (Atlanta Magazine), and in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers (Martindale).  He is a Certified Civil Trial Advocate of the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Mr. Shigley has extensive experience representing parties in trucking and bus accidents, products liability, catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, brain injury, spinal cord injury and burn injury cases.  Currently he is Treasurer of the 40,000 member State Bar of Georgia.