Danny Craig, the chief judge of the Augusta Judicial Circuit, announced Friday his plans to retire.
Craig, 69, said he will serve through the end of his fourth term in December. That means potential successors will face off in the May 21 nonpartisan election to fill his seat. Candidate qualifying is March 4-8.
The Augusta native has been a fixture on the Augusta legal scene for nearly 50 years and said he plans to seek senior judge status. Craig served as Augusta Circuit district attorney for 14 years prior to Gov. Sonny Perdue appointing him judge in early 2008.
“I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the citizens of Burke, Richmond and Columbia counties who gave me the privilege of serving as their elected district attorney and superior court judge over the past 32 years,” Craig said. “My experiences during those years, and those of my wife and family, reinforced daily the realization that those who call the CSRA ‘home’ are deeply committed to one another and to building community for future generations.”
Craig said his 12th grandchild is due in March, and he’s ready to have more time to spend with family.
“All my children and grandchildren and their families live within a few miles of me in Augusta, and this will give me an opportunity to spend a lot of time with them, time that I simply didn’t have as a DA and a judge,” he said. “This is a new chapter in life that I’m really looking forward to.”
Craig’s final term has been fraught with change. In 2021 Columbia County split from the Augusta Judicial Circuit to become its own judicial circuit, taking with it three of the circuit’s judges. Also amid the pandemic-induced judicial slowdown, former Augusta Circuit Chief Judge Carl Brown stepped down, pushing Craig, then the longest-serving Augusta judge, to become the circuit’s chief judge.
With Craig’s retirement, Superior Court Judge John Flythe will become chief judge.
While the Augusta Circuit has been recommended for a sixth judge based on caseload, state funding has not yet materialized. But the lack of a sixth isn’t why inmates are crawling the walls awaiting trial at Webster Detention Center, destroying their cells and prompting Augusta to undertake construction of 200 additional beds.
“We’re managing. The question is, are we sinking? No, we’re not sinking, we’re managing,” Craig said. “When you compare the Augusta workload to judges across the state, when the numbers are measured, Augusta is at the top of the list.”
The load is the product of staffing shortages plaguing the district attorney and public defender offices despite ongoing recruitment efforts.
“Until we see to it that there are enough people to process whatever the volume might be, you can add 10 judges but that’s not going to change the backlog,” Craig said.
Craig, who was in private practice for 14 years, said he never regretted turning his focus to the public sector.
“I have to pinch myself just to realize that I’ve been so blessed to be able to have my career,” he said. “I loved my private practice; I loved my clientele. I loved even more prosecutions, and have gotten the most fulfillment in serving as a judge. I have no regrets whatsoever.”
Susan McCord is a staff writer with The Augusta Press. Reach her at susan@theaugustapress.com
