Gov. Nathan Deal announced the appointment of the Honorable Charlie Bethel as a justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia. Bethel will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice P. Harris Hines. Deal also announced the appointment of the Honorable Christian A. Coomer to the Court of Appeals of Georgia to fill the vacancy created by Bethel’s appointment.

The appointments will take effect upon swearing in.

Charlie Bethel, Supreme Court of Georgia
Bethel currently serves as a Judge on the Court of Appeals of Georgia. He previously represented the 54th district in the Georgia State Senate and served as an alderman for the City of Dalton. Bethel has experience in dispute resolution, as the director of corporate affairs for J&J Industries and as a legal clerk for Judge Charles A. Pannell Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. He is a graduate of Leadership Georgia and was named to Georgia Trend’s “100 Most Influential Georgians” list three times. Bethel earned a bachelor’s degree in Management, cum laude, from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia and a law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. He and his wife, Lynsey, have three children and reside in Dalton.

Rep. Christian A. Coomer, Court of Appeals of Georgia
Coomer represents the 14th district in the Georgia House of Representatives, where he currently serves as the majority whip. He is a solo practitioner with Christian A. Coomer, Attorney at Law, LLC. Coomer is also a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and serves as a part-time Air Force Judge Advocate currently assigned to the Joint Force Headquarters of the Georgia National Guard. He was appointed to the Court Reform Council by Deal and was named the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s Legislator of the Year in 2017. Coomer received numerous awards for his military service including the U.S. Air Force Meritorious Service Medal. He is a graduate of Air Command and Staff College at Air University and the Georgia Legislative Leadership Institute. Coomer is a member of the Cartersville-Bartow County Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Veterans Association. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Lee University and a law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. Coomer and his wife, Heidi, have three children and reside in Cartersville.

Attorney General Chris Carr issued the following statements regarding Governor Nathan Deal’s appointment of The Honorable Charlie Bethel to serve as a justice on the Supreme Court of Georgia and Representative Christian Coomer to serve as a judge on the Court of Appeals of Georgia.

“On behalf of our office, I want to extend congratulations to Charlie Bethel who was appointed today by Governor Deal to serve as a justice on the Supreme Court of Georgia,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “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,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “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.”