CourtsSaturday, November 7
Gov. Kemp appoints two Columbus lawyers as Muscogee County State Court judges
The Today in Columbus team
Muscogee County is getting two new State Court judges. Gov. Brian Kemp appointed David Ranieri and Alex Shalishali on Friday. Ranieri, chief judge of the Recorder's Court of Columbus, fills the seat left by Judge Andy Prather, who WRBL says was the longest serving State Court judge in Georgia. Shalishali takes a new seat created by House Bill 1258 (Act 661). The Ledger-Enquirer says Judge Pete Temesgen is the only State Court judge in the county since Prather left.
Kemp filled three judgeships, two of them in Muscogee County
| Appointee | Court | Seat |
|---|---|---|
| David Ranieri | Muscogee County State Court | Andy Prather's seat |
| Alex Shalishali | Muscogee County State Court | New seat, HB 1258 |
| Paul K. Cook | Middle Judicial Circuit Superior Court | Vacancy, HB 1215 |
- Ranieri: Columbus native, Mercer law degree in 1988
- Ranieri: U.S. Army JAG Corps, then 21-plus years as prosecutor
- Shalishali: with Page, Scrantom, Sprouse, Tucker & Ford since 2012
- Shalishali: Dougherty County Attorney, former assistant magistrate judge
21+ yearsRanieri spent as a prosecutor
He handled cases in the U.S. Army, the Muscogee County Solicitor General's Office and the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office. He also spent more than nine years in private practice.
Sources: WTVM.com, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Kemp also named Judge Paul K. Cook to the Superior Court of the Middle Judicial Circuit, filling a vacancy created by House Bill 1215 (Act 450). Cook has been a judge on the State Court of Toombs County since January 2021.