ATLANTA - The Supreme Court of Georgia has denied a motion to prevent Gov. Nathan Deal from swearing in the three people he selected to appoint to the Georgia Court of Appeals.
Those appointees, announced by Deal Oct. 29, include Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney Brian Rickman of Tiger, Appalachian Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Amanda H. Mercier of Blue Ridge. and Nels S.D. Peterson, vice chancellor for legal affairs and secretary to the Board of Regents.
Friday's unanimous order denied an emergency motion from five plaintiffs who earlier had requested the Fulton County Superior Court declare House Bill 279 unconstitutional since it doesn't allow for a statewide election for the judgeships.
On Dec. 10, the trial court denied the plaintiffs’ request. They then filed an emergency motion for Supersedeas and for stay of further action by respondents in the Supreme Court of Georgia.
All Justices concurred on Friday's decision.
The terms of the new judges begin Jan. 1, 2016, and continue through Dec. 31, 2018.
Deal's appointees are scheduled to be sworn in next week.
