Commission announces finalist for Cobb Court

The short list of finalists for two vacant court appointments in Cobb County was announced this week by Gov. Brian Kemp’s Judicial Nominating Commission, comprised of 20 attorneys from around the state.

The three finalists for Superior Court are:

1. Julie Adams Jacobs, a Deputy Attorney with the Georgia Attorney General’s office
2. Ashley Palmer a Senior Attorney in the Fulton County Attorney’s office
3. Judge Henry Thompson a Cobb State Court judge.

The three finalists for State Court are:

1. Judge Eric Brewton, currently in the State Court’s traffic division
2. Austin Gills, an Attorney with the firm Gregory, Doyle, Calhoun & Rogers
3. Jaret Usher, a Division Director for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation

The open position in Superior Court is a result of an expansion of the courts by the General Assembly, while the State Court position is a result of the retirement of State Court Judge David Darden. Currently, Cobb’s State Court has 12 judges on its bench, while Cobb’s Superior Court will increase its numbers to 11 at the start of 2022, after the new judge is selected.

If State Court Judge Henry Thompson is appointed to the Superior Court and Judge Eric Brewton appointed to the State Court, their appointments will create two new vacancies for Gov. Kemp to fill.