(The Center Square) – Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs said Tuesday he is resigning when the Georgia Supreme Court’s term ends March 31.
Boggs served as the chief justice for three years. Former Gov. Nathan Deal appointed Boggs to the court in 2016, and he was reelected in 2018. He won a second six-year term in November.
“After much prayer and reflection, I have decided that the time has come for me to begin the next chapter of my life,” Boggs said in his resignation letter to Gov. Brian Kemp. “My wife recently retired from full-time teaching, and we have increasing family and personal obligations at home in south Georgia that make this change the right decision for us.”
Before his tenure on the state’s highest court, Boggs was on the state Court of Appeals and a Waycross Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge. He also served in the Georgia House of Representatives.
Boggs delivered what would be his final State of the Judiciary address to lawmakers in January. He talked about threats to the rule of law and judges.
“We know that you, too, have experienced physical threats as we all recall the instances of swatting that plagued our elected officials less than a year ago,” Boggs told lawmakers. “These threats simply cannot be tolerated as the ‘new norm’ in our society as they threaten the very core of our democracy.”
Kemp will appoint a new justice to the court. The court will decide on a new chief justice.
