Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Ralph Van Pelt Jr. will take on an extra administrative role in northwest Georgia.
In a press release this afternoon, Van Pelt announced that judges throughout the state's Seventh Judicial District named him the region's administrative judge. He will take over the job July 1.
The current judge, Jack Partain, said the most obvious part of the job is assigning senior judges to handle certain cases - usually, when all the local judges say they can't oversee a case because of a relationship with the defendant.
For example, Judge Larry Salmon from Rome is handling the criminal case against LaFayette attorney Larry Hill because Hill has worked with all of the local judges in the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, which consists of Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade and Walker counties.
In addition to these counties, Van Pelt will help handle problems in seven other judicial circuits that cover Whitfield, Murray, Gordon, Floyd and Cobb counties, among others.
Partain said the administrative role typically goes to the most experienced judge in the district; or at least, the most experienced judge who has not held the job before. Van Pelt has been a judge since Gov. Zell Miller appointed him to the bench in 1996.
"It's routine," Partain said. "Usually the next judge with seniority takes over."