Judge Carla Wong McMillian of the Court of Appeals of Georgia, a former State Court judge in Fayette County, will sit by designation on the Supreme Court of Georgia, making her the first Asian American judge to receive that honor.
She will serve in place of Justice David Nahmias in the appeals of Kemp, Secretary of State v. Monroe County et al. (S15A1251) and Bibb County v. Monroe County et al. (S15A1252). The Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case July 13 during its 10 a.m. session. In this high-profile case, the Secretary of State is appealing a Fulton County court decision regarding a land boundary dispute between Bibb and Monroe counties. In addition to hearing arguments, Judge McMillian will participate in the Court’s decision.
Judge McMillian, 42, was appointed to the Court of Appeals by Gov. Nathan Deal and took office Jan. 24, 2013. She was born and raised in Augusta, where her grandparents settled after immigrating to this country from China in the early 1900s. She is the first Asian American state appellate judge in the Southeast, and upon her election in May 2014, she became the first Asian American to be elected to a statewide office in Georgia.
Prior to her appointment to the Court of Appeals, Judge McMillian served as the State Court Judge for Fayette County, a position to which she was appointed by Gov. Sonny Perdue in 2010 and which she subsequently retained upon winning a contested election.
Before becoming a judge, she was a partner in the litigation group of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP. Judge McMillian started her legal career as a federal law clerk for Judge William C. O’Kelley of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
Judge McMillian attended law school as a Woodruff Scholar at the University of Georgia School of Law. She also graduated with high honors from Duke University and Westminster Schools of Augusta.
Judge McMillian resides in Fayette County with her husband and two children and is an active member of Dogwood Church in Tyrone.
Designated judges are appointed when a justice must recuse himself or herself from a particular case. The Supreme Court of Georgia maintains a list of judges from around the state and when the need arises, the Court appoints the next judge on the list.
