Tywman a finalist for Ga. Court of Appeals
Gov. Nathan Deal is expected to interview the short list of candidates this week, although he hasn’t set a deadline for an announcement.
Rome attorney Chris Twyman is one of 13 finalists for appointment to the Georgia Court of Appeals. There are three seats available and Gov. Nathan Deal is expected to interview candidates this week.
Twyman declined to comment Sunday on his shortlisting by the Judicial Nominating Commission, other than to say, “I’m honored to be considered with such an esteemed group of judges and attorneys.”
Local lawmaker Rep. Christian Coomer, a Cartersville attorney, was selected for interview by the JNC but withdrew his name at the last minute. He said Sunday that he initially thought of it as an exciting opportunity but came to realize through prayer that his heart is with the state legislature.
Twyman, a partner at Cox, Byington, Twyman & Johnson, serves on the State Bar of Georgia’s board of governors. He’s been working in Rome since his 1999 admission to the bar, specializing in civil and criminal defense in state and federal courts.
Ten of the finalists are sitting judges or prosecutors. Twyman and two others are in private practice. Deal hasn’t yet announced when he will fill the vacancies on the 15-member court with statewide jurisdiction.
One is for the seat held by Judge Gary B. Andrews, who is retiring in January. Two others were appointed by President Donald Trump to preside in federal courts. The U.S. Senate has confirmed Judge Elizabeth Branch to a seat on the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals and Judge Tilman “Tripp” Self III to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia.
A fourth seat also could open up shortly on the Georgia Court of Appeals. Trump’s appointment of Judge William “Billy” Ray to the 11th Circuit is pending Senate confirmation.
Coomer — Deal’s floor leader in the House — said that he, like most attorneys, viewed a seat on the bench as the apex of a career in law. But he felt inexplicably uneasy as the time for the JNC interview approached. He talked and prayed with his family, he said, and decided to stay in the House.
“Once my wife and I came to the decision that was what we wanted to do, there was an unmistakable sense of peace for us,” he said. “I have a real passion for the legislative process, the service that we do ... setting tax policy, setting budget policy, giving direction to the state in terms of where we’re headed.”
Coomer, who is unopposed, said his next two years in the House will focus on continuing the growth the seen under Deal, whose term ends this year.