ATLANTA – Today Governor Brian P. Kemp's office announced the following judicial appointments: Steven Blackerby to the Superior Court of the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, filling a vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Robert W. "Bert" Guy; Kristi Goodwin Connell, to the Superior Court of the Augusta Judicial Circuit, filling a vacancy created by the passage of Senate Bill 145; James "Jim" Kiger to the Superior Court of the Douglas Judicial Circuit, filling a vacancy created by the passage of Senate Bill 88; Patrick M. Shepherd to the State Court of Spalding County, filling a vacancy created by the passage of House Bill 798; and Pamela "Pam" Bettis to the State Court of Henry County, filling a vacancy created by the passage of Senate Bill 328.

Steven Blackerby is a partner with the law firm of Brown Readdick in Brunswick, Georgia, where he has practiced for more than 20 years. He regularly handles business, contract, property, and personal-injury disputes, but much of his career has focused on representing local governments and their employees, including matters involving constitutional and civil-rights claims. He serves as City Attorney for St. Mary's, City Attorney for Kingsland, and County Attorney for Brantley County, advising those entities on a wide range of matters, including zoning, property, contracts, and employment issues. He has also represented other governmental agencies, including local housing authorities and the City of Brunswick's Urban Redevelopment Agency. In addition to his civil practice, Blackerby represents indigent defendants in federal court and has defended numerous federal criminal cases.

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A native of Brunswick, Blackerby earned his Bachelor of Arts in English from Emory University, where he was a Robert W. Woodruff Scholar and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He received his Juris Doctor with honors from the University of Georgia School of Law, where he served on the editorial board of the Journal of Intellectual Property Law and was a member of both the Federalist Society and the Student Bar Association.

He and his wife, Jennifer, who is a high school teacher at Glynn Academy, live on St. Simons Island with their three children.

Kristi Goodwin Connell currently serves as an assistant district attorney for the Columbia Judicial Circuit, prosecuting felony and misdemeanor cases for District Attorney Bobby Christine. She has been practicing law in the Augusta area for over 25 years. Before her time as an ADA in the Columbia Judicial Circuit, she was a partner with the Connell Law Firm, where her practice focused on civil, domestic, and criminal defense in Federal, Superior, State, and Magistrate Court. Connell is also a certified civil, domestic, and probate mediator. She began her legal career serving the Augusta Judicial Circuit for 14 years as both an assistant district attorney and chief assistant district attorney.

Connell earned undergraduate degrees in biology and political science from Converse College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She has a Master of Science in health care policy and administration from Mercer University and earned her Juris Doctor from Mercer University's Walter F. George School of Law.

She and her husband, Scott, live in Augusta with their three sons.

James "Jim" Kiger currently serves as the chief assistant public defender in the Douglas County Public Defender's Office, where he has practiced for over 28 years. Prior to his service as a public defender, Kiger practiced with a general trial firm in Valdosta, Georgia.

Kiger is an honors graduate of Valdosta State College and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia College of Law in 1991.

He and his wife, Brenda, live in Douglasville. They are the parents of two children, Atticus and Barbara.

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Patrick M. Shepherd currently serves as the Solicitor General of Spalding County, where he prosecutes misdemeanor cases in the Spalding County State Court. Prior to his election as Solicitor General in 2018, Shepherd was a partner in the firm of Shepherd Law Offices, LLC, where he practiced with his father, Timothy N. Shepherd. In private practice, Shepherd represented clients in a wide range of matters including civil litigation, domestic relations, criminal defense, probate and estate matters and personal injury. Shepherd also served as assistant solicitor in Spalding County from 2016 through 2018.

Shepherd earned his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Georgia in 2005 and his Juris Doctor from the Mercer University School of Law in 2009. He is a lifelong resident of Spalding County and is active in his community, serving or having served on various boards, including the Griffin-Spalding Sports Hall of Fame, the Griffin-Spalding County Bar Association, the Griffin Exchange Club, and the First Baptist Church Mission Council. Shepherd also leads the First Baptist Church Community Garden.

Shepherd and his wife, Robin, have two daughters and live in Griffin.

Pamela "Pam" Bettis currently serves as Solicitor General of Henry County. She was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal in 2018 and elected in 2020 and 2024. Bettis first began her career as a Henry County Deputy Sheriff in 1990 and then transitioned to the newly formed Henry County Police Department in 1991. She served as a patrol officer, undercover narcotics agent, criminal investigator and eventually obtained a leadership position with Clayton State University Police Department. In 2005, Bettis started her legal career as an Assistant Solicitor General with the Henry County Solicitor's Office. In 2008, she co-founded the law firm of Bettis & Howard, PC, in McDonough, Georgia.

Bettis graduated from Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice in 1998, and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice in 2000. She attended Emory University School of Law and obtained her Juris Doctor in 2005. She attended Emory's School of Law with the assistance of the Supreme Court of Georgia Scholarship.

Bettis is a lifelong resident of Georgia and a 20-year resident of Henry County.

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