Catoosa County’s state court is one step closer to opening.
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal appointed Doug Woodruff as the court’s first solicitor general on July 26. Woodruff spent 11 1/2 years in the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit’s public defender’s office and will join former Fort Oglethorpe City Manager Ron Goulart, whom Deal appointed to the position of state court judge on July 21.
“It’s a great opportunity to take a step in continued service for the community,” Woodruff said Tuesday. “It seemed like a great opportunity and something that I was interested in, so I put my name in the hat.”
The Georgia Legislature created the Catoosa County State Court through a local act in 2015. The court is supposed to speed up all court cases in the county because it will host some criminal and civil trials that would have otherwise sat in superior court. The added court is also supposed to help prosecutors and judges focus on each case more, given that their plates won’t be as full.
It’s still not clear when the state court will actually begin, though.
Woodruff, who will prosecute state court cases, will meet today with Goulart, Court Clerk Tracy Brown and Superior Court Judge Ralph Van Pelt Jr. to create a court calendar outlining when cases will go before the court.
In the meantime, Woodruff said he is focused on mundane office work. Buying paper. Buying trash cans. Setting up a voicemail. Setting up a computer database for cases. Taking applications for an assistant.
“We’re starting from scratch,” he said. “There are no legal barriers (to opening the court). It’s just logistical.”
In 2012, Woodruff narrowly lost to Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney Herbert “Buzz” Franklin in the Republican primary. Out of 21,914 ballots cast, Franklin edged him by 42 votes.
Deal also interviewed Ringgold attorney Shawn Bible for the solicitor general position.
SUPERIOR COURT: Five local lawyers have been nominated for a Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Superior Court judge seat: Franklin, David Dunn, Keith Edwards, Michael Giglio and Don Thompson.
The lawyers are vying to replace Jon “Bo” Wood, who will retire in October. While the five attorneys have been nominated for the position by others in the community, they haven’t actually applied. If they are interested in the seat, they now have to submit an application to the Judicial Nominating Commission.
The deadline to apply is Aug. 26.
Dunn, Giglio and Thompson said they plan to apply. Edwards and Franklin did not return calls or emails seeking comment.
Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at 423-757-6476 or tjett@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.