COVINGTON, Ga. — Covington native Cheveda McCamy will replace the late Horace Johnson Jr. as a Newton County Superior Court judge.

Gov. Brian Kemp today, Oct. 15, announced he was appointing McCamy to the judgeship left vacant by the July 1 death of Johnson.

McCamy, a Henry County chief assistant district attorney, will be one of five judges on the Alcovy Judicial Circuit Superior Court bench overseeing criminal and civil cases in Newton and Walton counties — including jury trials expected to resume in January.

She said today that, “It truly is an honor to be selected to serve my community as your next Superior Court judge. 

“I am excited to bring my energy, experience and vision to the court system in Newton and Walton counties. Thank you to Gov. Kemp for having confidence in me to follow the legacy of fairness and justice that Judge Johnson embodied in the Alcovy Circuit. 

“I am grateful to my family, my colleagues and everyone who supported me in this journey. Together with our community, I will ensure that my courtroom is a place where all voices are heard.”

The state Judicial Nominating Commission Sept. 2 recommended McCamy and Covington attorney Hillary W. Edgar out of six finalists for Kemp’s appointment.

Superior Court Judge John Ott, who is chief judge for the Alcovy Circuit, said he had been “very pleased” with the experience level shown by both candidates for the judgeship.

He said he had heard “all very positive” comments about McCamy from judges in the Flint Judicial Circuit in Henry County.

“The judges think very highly of her,” he said.

Ott said he did not believe it will take other Alcovy judges much time to help McCamy get “up to speed” on the position.

He added it will be “great to have a full complement of judges” to hear the many cases now going through the circuit. 

Ott said he expected jury trials will begin again in January after being delayed since March because of safety concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic.

The appointment makes McCamy the first Black woman to serve as an Alcovy Superior Court judge. However, the governor's office did not give a time frame for her swearing-in.

McCamy earlier this year was a candidate for another Superior Court judgeship now held by Eugene Benton in the Alcovy circuit. She narrowly lost a chance to compete against Monroe attorney Jeff Foster in an August runoff that Foster won.

Her appointment also was the second Superior Court judgeship Kemp filled this year following his June appointment of former District Attorney Layla Zon as the first female Superior Court judge in the Alcovy circuit.

McCamy earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of Georgia and a Juris Doctorate degree from Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law.

She is a 1991 graduate of Social Circle High School, where she was class president.

McCamy has practiced law in Georgia for more than 20 years as a prosecutor and a civil attorney. 

In addition to Henry County, she has worked as an assistant district attorney for the Fulton and DeKalb District Attorney’s offices in the Crimes Against Women and Children, Major Case and Public Integrity units.

Prior to becoming a prosecutor, she worked as an associate attorney for the insurance defense firm Hall, Booth, Smith and Slover P.C. and the general practice firm of Lisa R. Roberts and Associates P.C.

She also worked in her own private practice handling criminal law, family law, personal injury, estate planning and real estate; and taught torts and criminal law to paralegal students at Atlanta Metropolitan Technical College.

Professionally, she is a member of the bar associations in Newton, Walton and Henry counties.

She also is a member of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys and its Judicial Review Committee; the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, the Georgia Association of Women Lawyers and the National District Attorneys Association.

With the Henry County District Attorney’s office, McCamy helped implement Power Moves, which is geared toward middle school students and addresses leadership development and conflict resolution.

She serves as co-chairperson of the Newton County Domestic Violence Task Force, a board member for the Newton County Boys & Girls Club, community service committee member for the Kiwanis Club of Covington, and is a member of the Covington-Newton County Chamber of Commerce.

She also is a leader of the Couples Ministry for her church, Springfield Baptist Church. 

McCamy serves as secretary of the Black Alumni Council of Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law. She also serves as co-chairperson of the Community Service Committee of NewRock Legal Society, which is an association of minority attorneys dedicated to educating the public about the law.

She helped establish the Beyond The Bar Scholarship Foundation which is a collaborative effort between NewRock and the bar associations in Newton, Walton and Rockdale counties to help high school seniors pay for college. 

McCamy and husband, Marcellus McCamy, have been married for 20 years and have a daughter and son.