Gov. Brian Kemp is expected to appoint two new judges to the Mountain Judicial Circuit following the death of Judge Russell Smith.
Smith was found dead at his home in Rabun County on Tuesday, Jan. 28, according to the Rabun County Coroner’s Office. A cause of death has not yet been determined.
A second justice will be selected to succeed the circuit’s chief superior court judge, Chan Caudell, who is retiring at the end of January to return to private practice.
Officials with the Governor’s Office said on Tuesday that Kemp has not yet announced who could be appointed to the circuit, but “once the governor has made an announcement, it will be public to everyone.”
The Mountain Judicial Circuit encompasses Habersham, Rabun, Stephens and Banks counties.
This article has been updated with accurate information regarding potential appointments to the Mountain Judicial Circuit after a previous article incorrectly named William “Bill” Ray Oliver as a newly-appointed judge. Oliver was appointed by Kemp in 2022.
