Georgia Supreme Court to welcome Judge Charles Bethel to bench

ATLANTA —The Georgia Supreme Court is welcoming a new justice to the bench.

Gov. Nathan Deal announced Friday that he had appointed Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Charles “Charlie” Bethel to Georgia’s highest court.

“On behalf of the Supreme Court of Georgia, I congratulate Judge Bethel on his appointment to our Court,” Chief Justice Harold D. Melton said. “Charlie is a dedicated public servant and an exceptional jurist. He will make a wonderful addition to this Court.”

Bethel, a native of Athens, was raised in Dalton. He earned both his business and law degrees from the University of Georgia. He served as a law clerk on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia for Judge Charles A. Pannell Jr. before returning to northwest Georgia. He worked in Dalton as a practicing attorney with Minor Bell & Neal, now The Minor Firm, and spent more than a decade in the flooring industry in executive and legal capacities working for J&J Industries, a biography on the state’s Court of Appeals website said.

Bethel was elected four times to serve in the Georgia State Senate. During his service in the Senate, he served as the chair of both the Insurance & Labor Committee and the Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee. He served as an administration floor leader, a deputy whip and as co-chair of the Joint High School Athletics Overview Committee. He also served on the appropriations, judiciary, judiciary non-civil, retirement, government oversight and special judiciary committees during his service in the Senate, the biography said.

The biography further notes that the judge is the recipient of several honors and recognitions associated with his public service. The list includes multiple citations as one of the 100 Most Influential Georgians by Georgia Trend magazine, as well as previous inclusion on their 40 Under 40 list. The University of Georgia Alumni Association has also recognized Bethel as a 40 Under 40 honoree.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said Friday that state Rep. Christian Coomer, R-Cartersville, will serve as a judge on the Georgia Court of Appeals to replace Bethel.

“On behalf of our office, I want to extend congratulations to Charlie Bethel, who was appointed today by Gov. Deal to serve as a justice on the Supreme Court of Georgia,” Carr said. “Judge Bethel has already served the state of Georgia well on the Court of Appeals and in the state Senate. He will bring a conservative philosophy, even temperament and impeccable intellect to his future role on our state’s high court.

“Representative Christian Coomer is a fantastic choice to replace Judge Bethel on the Court of Appeals. From serving our country in the Air Force to representing the people of his district in the state House, he has demonstrated integrity and a deep respect for the rule of law. He will serve the state well on Georgia’s Court of Appeals.”

Bethel has served on the state’s intermediate appellate court since Jan. 1, 2017. His appointment to the state’s highest court will fill the vacancy left by former Chief Justice P. Harris Hines, who retired Aug. 31.

The appointment was the most recent of a few changes in the Georgia high court in recent weeks. Melton was sworn in earlier this month as chief justice by Hines, making David E. Nahmias the new presiding justice. Sarah Hawkins Warren, the state’s former solicitor general, was appointed last month to replace former Justice Britt Grant after Grant was confirmed as a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.

Stephen Barrett