Georgia Governor Brian Kemp Announces Appointments To Court Of Appeals, Superior Court, and District Attorneys
This week, Governor Brian P. Kemp announced the appointment of the Honorable Brian K. Epps to the Georgia Court of Appeals, filling the vacancy created by the resignation of the Honorable Brian M. Rickman. Additionally, Governor Kemp announced several appointments of Superior Court Judges and District Attorneys.
Judge Brian K. Epps previously served as a Magistrate Judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia for thirteen years. Before serving on the federal bench, Epps was a partner at Kilpatrick Townsends & Stockton, where he represented commercial policy holders in coverage disputes.
Here is the biography of the people who Kemp appointed to various positions across Georgia:
W. Michael Burnham is a life-long resident of the Southern Judicial Circuit. He is a partner at the law firm of Dodd & Burnham, where he has handled domestic, criminal, and civil matters throughout his legal career. He is a skilled civil mediator, arbitrator, and domestic relations mediator who regularly assists in high-asset and high-conflict divorce and custody cases.
Burnham earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Valdosta State University and a Juris Doctor from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama. He is married to Stephanie Burnham, and they have two children, Boston and Tripp.
Kellye C. Moore is the managing partner of Walker, Hulbert, Gray and Moore, LLP in Perry, Georgia, where she has a general civil litigation practice. Previously, Moore served as Judge Pro Tempore for the Houston County Juvenile Court under Judge Monica Wilburn. In addition to her private practice, she serves as general counsel to both the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association and the Constitutional Officers’ Association of Georgia, advising Sheriffs, Superior Court Clerks, Probate Judges, and Tax Commissioners.
Raised in a U.S. Air Force family, Moore earned her Bachelor of Business Administration, cum laude, from the University of Georgia and her Juris Doctor from Mercer University School of Law. Kellye lives in Houston County, and she and her late husband, Chris, shared two daughters.
Michael H. Rogers currently serves as Senior Assistant District Attorney in the Griffin Judicial Circuit. He has successfully prosecuted misdemeanor cases and major felonies in the Superior, Juvenile, Magistrate and Probate Courts throughout the Circuit. Prior to joining the Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office, Rogers practiced privately in Thomaston, specializing in criminal defense, domestic relations, and estate law. He also served as an assistant public defender.
Rogers is actively involved in his community and is a graduate of the Leadership Georgia Class of 2022, as well as past president of the Thomaston Bar Association. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in History from Columbus State University and his Juris Doctor from Mercer University. Rogers, his wife, and two children reside in Upson County and attend Christ Chapel Church of Zebulon.
Kathleen Van Pelt Davis currently serves as a Special Assistant Attorney General representing the Division of Family and Children Services and the Division of Aging services for the four counties of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit. She has been a director of her law firm, Bowers & Davis, LLC, for eleven years, representing litigants in criminal and domestic matters. She also conducts mediations throughout Northwest Georgia. Previously, Davis worked as an associate Special Assistant Attorney General, serving under the Honorable Steven M. Ellis.
Davis attended the University of Georgia School of Law, where she graduated cum laude. While in law school, she participated in the Prosecutorial Clinic and served under District Attorney Kermit McManus of the Conasauga Judicial Circuit. Prior to law school, she graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia, where she earned a Bachelor’s in Political Science. Davis, her husband, and her four children reside in Catoosa County.
