Two Columbia County attorneys have been short-listed for appointment to the judgeship held by James G. Blanchard Jr.
Blanchard announced his retirement last month after 21 years on the superior court bench.
Set to serve the remaining two years of his term are either Rep. Barry Fleming, the Harlem Republican legislator, or J. Grady Blanchard, an Appling attorney who serves as a city judge.
The Judicial Nominating Commission of Georgia interviewed four candidates, according to a letter to Gov. Brian Kemp from commission co-chairs Vincent R. Russo and Mark Middleton.
After considering the candidates, the commission sent the two names to Kemp, according to the letter.
Fleming is the former chairman of the Columbia County Commission who was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2002. A graduate of the University of Georgia and UGA School of Law, Fleming stepped down from the House in 2009 to run for U.S. Congress then was reelected in 2012.
Blanchard is a former Evans High School baseball standout who played for Georgia Southern and Augusta University. He earned his J.D. from John Marshall Law School and serves as chief municipal court judge in Waynesboro and Louisville. He has served as a city judge in Grovetown and an associate Columbia County magistrate.
Kemp hadn’t announced a decision Tuesday.
