Members of Georgia's highest court have unanimously elected a new leader.
A news release from the Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday says Presiding Justice Harold Melton has been chosen as the next chief justice. He will succeed Chief Justice P. Harris Hines, who is set to retire Aug. 31.
The court also unanimously selected Justice David Nahmias as the new presiding justice.
Georgia's chief justice serves a four-year term and presides over oral arguments and meetings at which justices reach their decisions. The chief justice also heads the state's judicial branch.
Melton was appointed to the high court by then-Gov. Sonny Perdue in July 2005. He was previously an attorney representing Perdue on a variety of legal issues. He worked before then in the state attorney general's office.
