Georgia: Gov. Kemp Announces Judicial and Prosecutorial Appointments

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ATLANTA – Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced the following judicial and prosecutorial appointments: Charles B. "Brad" Dixon to the Superior Court of the Atlantic Judicial Circuit, filling a vacancy created by the resignation of the Honorable Glen A. Cheney; Billy Joe Nelson, Jr., to the Superior Court of the Atlantic Judicial Circuit, filling a vacancy created by the resignation of the Honorable Robert L. Russell, III; Catherine A. Sumner as District Attorney of the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit, filling a vacancy created by the passing of the Honorable D. Robert Busbee; and Justin R. Arnold to the State Court of Sumter County, filling a vacancy created by the passing of the Honorable William Rambo.

Charles B. "Brad" Dixon is a partner in the law firm of Dixon & Lasseter, Attorneys at Law, P.C., in Richmond Hill.  His practice has included domestic relations, criminal defense, probate, estate planning, real estate, and civil litigation matters.

Prior to entering private practice, Dixon served for eight years on active duty in the United States Army JAG Corps, ultimately attaining the rank of Major. He served as a General Crimes Prosecutor, Special Victims Prosecutor, and Trial and Defense Attorney. He was responsible for training military prosecutors worldwide.

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Dixon earned a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies from West Virginia University in 2006, and his Juris Doctor from the West Virginia University College of Law in 2009. Dixon and his wife, Ivona, reside in Richmond Hill with their two sons, Charlie and Vance.

Billy Joe Nelson, Jr. was elected District Attorney of the Atlantic Judicial Circuit in 2022. Nelson became an Assistant District Attorney in the Atlantic Judicial Circuit in 2011 and served in that capacity until he was elected as District Attorney. In 2017, Governor Nathan Deal appointed Nelson to serve as the part-time Solicitor General for the State Court of Long County. He began his legal career in 2009 as a law clerk for the Superior Court judges in the Brunswick Judicial Circuit.

Nelson is a native of McIntosh County and a lifelong resident of the Atlantic Judicial Circuit. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in real estate, cum laude, from the University of Georgia. He obtained his Juris Doctor degree from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. He and his wife, Kathryn, have three children and reside in Liberty County.

Catherine A. Sumner serves as the Solicitor-General of Bulloch County. Prior to being elected, she served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit. During her tenure in the District Attorney's Office, Sumner was the chief prosecuting attorney assigned to felony cases originating from major law enforcement agencies across the circuit, including four sheriff's offices, the Georgia State Patrol, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

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Sumner graduated magna cum laude from Georgia Southern University in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in political science. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2014, where she actively participated in the Prosecutorial Clinic and was recognized as the outstanding prosecutorial clinic student for her class.

Sumner sits on the Bulloch Family Violence Task Force. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Community Assistance in Fire Emergencies and is a past president of the Bulloch County Bar Association. Sumner, her two sons, and their family reside in Statesboro, where they are active members of First Baptist Church.

Justin R. Arnold is a partner in the law firm of Arnold & Hooks, LLC, where he has served clients since 2015 in a variety of civil, criminal, probate, and domestic matters throughout southwest Georgia. Previously, he was an Assistant District Attorney in the Southwestern Judicial Circuit, where he focused on traffic prosecution and served as the District Attorney's representative in the Drug Court. Arnold began his legal career with Barnes, Farr & NeSmith, PC, and he served as the Municipal Court Judge for the City of Ideal.

Arnold earned a bachelor's degree in political science, with honors, from Millsaps College and a Juris Doctor from Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. He and his wife, Rachel, reside in Americus with their two daughters.

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