George Carley

	George Carley
	Current Court Information:
	Georgia Supreme Court
Title:	Presiding Justice
	Service:
Appointed by:	Joe Frank Harris
Active:	1993-2012
Preceded by:	Leah Ward Sears
Past post:	Georgia Court of Appeals
Past term:	1979-1993
	Personal History
Born:	September 24, 1938
Bachelors:	University of Georgia, 1960
Law School:	University of Georgia School of Law, 1962
Military service:	United States Army Reserve 1956-1960

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George H. Carley is the Presiding Justice of the seven member Georgia Supreme Court. He was first nominated to the court in the state's Commission-selection, political appointment method of judicial selection on March 16, 1993 by Governor Zell Miller. Justice Carley was retained for additional six year terms in 1994, 2000 and 2006. He assumed the position of presiding justice upon the retirement from the court of Leah Ward Sears, whereupon Carol Hunstein became chief justice.^[1] Carley will serve as Chief Justice of the court for a two month period before his retirement, with that term he will be the first judge to serve as the Presiding and Chief Justice of both the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Georgia Supreme Court. His current term would expire in 2012 but he has announced plans to retire in July 2012, allowing Governor Nathan Deal to appoint his successor.^[2]^[3]

Education

Carley earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia in 1960 and his LL.B. degree from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1962.^[2]

Professional career

Following his admission to the bar Carley actively engaged in private practice lawyer until he was appointed to the bench in 1979. In 1966, he served in the Georgia House of Representatives. From 1971-1979, he was a partner in charge of litigation with the firm McCurdy & Candler. He also worked as the attorney for the Housing Authority of Decatur and as a Special Assistant Attorney General handling eminent domain cases for the Department Of Transportation. Governor George D. Busbee appointed Carley to the Georgia Court of Appeals on April 5, 1979, where Carley was retained to a full six-year term in 1980, 1986 and 1992. He served as Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals from 1989 to 1990 and as presiding judge from 1991 to 1993. In 1993 he was appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court, a position which he still serves.^[2]