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Georgia Supreme Court and Court of Appeals building. (Photo by John Disney/ALM)[/caption] The Judicial Nomination Commission has released to the Daily Report the names of 101 lawyers and judges nominated for openings on the Georgia Supreme Court. The commission will narrow the list to "a manageable number"—about 30—for interviews on July 26, Chair Pete Robinson of Troutman Sanders told the Daily Report. After the interviews, the commission will send a shortlist of recommendations to Gov. Nathan Deal. The commission received the nominations to fill the opening created by the retirement of Chief Justice P. Harris Hines—and for any additional vacancies that may occur this year. The court has already elected Presiding Justice Harold Melton to succeed Hines as chief justice. Hines plans to retire Aug. 31. The two justices have served in their current roles since January 2017. The typical four-year term has been cut short by Hines' upcoming 75th birthday. Georgia appellate judges are required to retire before the month they turn 75 or forfeit their pensions. The high court is expecting another departure upon U.S. Senate confirmation of Justice Britt Grant, nominated by President Donald Trump to fill a spot on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. The JNC invited State Bar of Georgia members and the public to submit nominations for these vacancies. The deadline was Friday. Georgia Court of Appeals Chief Judge Stephen Dillard—the first name on the list released as the commission released it—announced on Twitter Tuesday that he will not pursue the nomination. “I would love to serve as a justice on that Court at some point in the future; but the timing is not right,” Dillard said. He noted that he was just elected this year to another six-year term on his court, where he is in the middle of his service as chief judge. “Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, five new judges will have joined the Court of Appeals in less than a year as of January 1, 2019,” Dillard continued. For now, Dillard said he believes he can best provide “stability and continuity of leadership” where he is. Here are the nominees, in the random order in which the commission listed them:
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Stephen Dillard
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Ural D. Glanville
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Paige Reese Whitaker
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Bonnie Michelle Smith
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John Raymond Burdges
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Marc Mallon
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Gary Gerrard
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Melanie Barbee-Cross
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Kelly Lee Ellerbe
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Carla McMillian
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Shawn Ellen LaGrua
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Cornel Potra
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Barry E. Morgan
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Asha F. Jackso
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J. P. Boulee
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Tain Kell
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Sara L. Doyle
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Regina Quick
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Sarah Hawkins Warren
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John Edward Niedrach
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Randy Ric
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Kyle G. A. Wallace
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Michael S. Broun
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Charlie Bethel
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John Carswell Pridgen
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John N. Davis
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William Hulbert Gregory II
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Robert W. Chasteen Jr
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H. Maddox Kilgore
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Emily Richardson
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Robert D. Wolf
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C. Wilson DuBose
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Inez Grant
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Ann Byrd
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John D. Hadden
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Terrence Lee Croft
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Regina D. Cannon
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Andy Welch
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Anne Barne
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Yvette Miller
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Brian Rickman
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Amanda Mercier
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Clyde Reese
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Trent Brown
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Nicole Leet
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Catherine Koura
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Mark Worthan
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Pat DiCarlo
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Julie Adams Jacobs
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Frank McKay
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Audra Ann Dial
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Jason Deal
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Dax Lopez
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Gail Tusan
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A. Dee Morris
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Luana K. Walsh
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Konrad Ziegler
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Wayne Purdom
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Amanda Speights
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Stephen Scarborough
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Suparna Malempati Joshi
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Lawton E. Stephens
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William (Bill) Cowsert
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Eric C. Crawford
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Jacqueline F. Luther
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Shuli L. Green
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John Breakfield
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C. Lee Davis
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Jefferson (Jeff) Upchurch
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Brian Amero
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Steven Leibel
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Tom Rawling
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Beth Burton
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Corey Martin
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Stephen Knights
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Robert C.I. McBurney
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Bruce M. Edenfield
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L. Bruce Hedrick
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Denise Rainwater Griffin
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Alvin T. Wong
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Bert Norton
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Stanley Gunter
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Peter C. Lomtevas
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Kenneth Shigley
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Christopher McFadden
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Shondeana Crews Morris
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Deborah Ann Johnson
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Edward Lukemire
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Calvin Blackburn
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Brooke Flaherty Tiner
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Sarah Gerwig-Moore
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Richard H. Bennett
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Robert “Bo” Hunter
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Sarah Tipton-Downie
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Paul M. Baisier
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Robert "Bob" Laurence Barr Jr.
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Stefan Ritter
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Robert Semler
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Michael B. Terry
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Ruth McMullin
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Gerard Kleinrock