Hall County Magistrate Court Judge Brian Heck has announced that he will no longer be running for a recently-vacated Northeastern Judicial Circuit Superior Court judgeship and will now run for Hall County State Court.
The move was announced by Heck Thursday, four weeks after he announced his bid for the Superior Court seat previously filled by Chief Judge Kathlene Gosselin, who announced in September that she will retire at the end of her current term in 2024.
Instead, Heck will now seek a seat on the State Court currently held by Judge John Breakfield, who announced Wednesday that he is also planning to run for the Superior Court judgeship in 2024.
“I love serving the people of Hall County as a Judge,” Heck said in Thursday's release. "I look forward to working hard to earn the trust and support to serve as Hall County’s next State Court Judge. I believe with my depth of experience on the Bench and across the Court system – particularly as a Senior Trial Attorney in State Court – that I am the best qualified to effectively serve as the next State Court Judge."
Heck worked as a prosecuting attorney until 2019 and eventually became Northeastern Judicial Circuit District Attorney in 2021. He joined the Magistrate Court in 2022.
Both the State Court and Superior Court races will be held in 2024 and will be non-partisan.
