The head of the Georgia Supreme Court announced Friday that he will step down later this year.
Chief Justice David Nahmias wrote in a letter to Gov. Brian Kemp that he will leave the high court on July 17, the last day of the court’s next term, according to a news release from the court. Nahmias noted that he has served on the Supreme Court for more than 12 years — writing more than 470 opinions and joining more than 2,700 others — after working for nearly 15 years as a federal prosecutor.
“I believe that I have contributed to making the decisional law of Georgia clearer, more consistent, and more faithful to the text and original understanding of our State’s Constitution and statutes,” he wrote.
Then-Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed Nahmias to the state’s top court in 2009. He won reelection in 2010 and 2016 and served as presiding justice from September 2018 through last July. Kemp will appoint a new justice to fill his seat on the court, the release says.
Nahmias wrote in his letter that he decided “after several months of reflection and prayer” to spend more time with his family, including his fiancee and children, but has not yet decided what his next career move will be.
