COVINGTON, Ga. — Two Newton County residents have been recommended for a Superior Court judgeship to replace the late Horace Johnson Jr. 

The state Judicial Nominating Commission today, Sept. 2, recommended Covington attorney Hillary W. Edgar and Flint Judicial Circuit prosecutor Cheveda McCamy of Covington for appointment by Gov. Brian Kemp.

Kemp will have the final selection for the Alcovy Judicial Circuit Superior Court judgeship left vacant by Johnson’s July 1 death.

The Governor’s Office will contact candidates to schedule interviews, the commission announced today. Alcovy Judicial Circuit includes Newton and Walton counties.

Edgar is a managing member of the Edgar Law Firm LLC in Covington, while McCamy serves as chief assistant district attorney in the Henry County District Attorney’s office.

Edgar serves as general counsel for the Newton County Water & Sewerage Authority, Covington Housing Authority and the Lawrenceville Housing Authority.  She also serves as a Judge Pro Tem for the Newton County Juvenile Court, according to information on her law firm’s website.  

A Statesboro native, Edgar earned her undergraduate degree in history from Agnes Scott College in Decatur and her Juris Doctorate degree from Georgia State University.  

McCamy is a Covington native and has worked as a prosecutor in Henry, Fulton and DeKalb counties. She supervises more than 40 employees as chief assistant DA. She also practiced criminal defense, personal injury, real estate, estate planning and family law. 

The Social Circle High School graduate earned degrees from the University of Georgia and Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law.

She said she was "honored" by the commission's selection. 

“I am honored to be selected as a finalist for Superior Court judge in the community I grew up in and now raise my family in," McCamy said. "It would be a privilege to follow in the footsteps of the late Judge Horace J. Johnson Jr., who served not only as a mentor to me, but a leader in our circuit.” 

Edgar said she was "honored and humbled by the opportunity potentially to serve as judge, but it does not come without sadness."

"Judge Johnson served so well with a great heart for this community," she said. 

"My experiences walking in the front doors of our courthouses with the individuals, families, businesses and organizations that I have represented throughout the Circuit have shown me that people want an opportunity to be heard and to have the law applied fairly. It would be my privilege to work for that goal every day.”

Kemp now can interview the commission's finalists and choose a new judge, or he is free to choose someone who is not a finalist. He also can reject the nominations and restart the process.

After 11 attorneys and judicial officials from Newton and Walton counties were nominated for the judgeship in July, six told the Judicial Nominating Commission they wanted to proceed with the process.

The list included Edgar and McCamy and Anthony S. Carter, the chief public defender in the Alcovy Circuit; Covington attorney Teri L. Doepke; Lori Duff, a Loganville attorney and Municipal Court judge; and W. Cliff Howard, the deputy chief assistant district attorney of Walton County.

McCamy narrowly missed out on a spot in an Aug. 11 runoff election for another Alcovy Superior Court judgeship now held by Eugene Benton.

Benton is retiring at the end of the year and will be succeeded by Monroe attorney Jeff Foster, who defeated Bob Stansfield of Covington in the Aug. 11 runoff.

The Judicial Nominating Commission is helping Kemp choose an Alcovy judge for the second time this year. Judge Samuel D. Ozburn retired in the spring and Kemp selected then-District Attorney Layla Zon, who was sworn in June 2 at the state Capitol.

If Kemp chooses one of the two finalists named today, it will continue the trend of Newton County residents holding three of the Superior Court judgeships and Walton County residents holding two judgeships in the Alcovy circuit.

Zon and Ken Wynne are from Newton. Benton and Chief Judge John Ott are from Walton. Foster will follow Benton in his seat in January.

Ott said he will help either of the finalists get acclimated to their new job.

“They’re both ... competent attorneys and fine people and I’m certainly going to work as hard as I can with the transition, as all the judges I’m sure are going to do,” he said.

Editor and Publisher David Clemons of The Walton Tribune contributed to this report.