Kemp Appoints Members to Judicial Nominating Committee

Georgia Gov. Brian P. Kemp announced 38 appointments to the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC), which makes recommendations to the Governor to fill vacancies in state, superior, and appellate courts in Georgia, including four with ties to the Chattahoochee Valley.

"The Judicial Nominating Commission plays a crucial role in ensuring Georgia's courts are filled with qualified, capable, and ethical members who will ensure justice is done for all Georgians," Kemp said. "I look forward to working with this group of leaders in the legal profession to promote a judicial branch that upholds our law, ideals, and commitment to integrity. On behalf of the State of Georgia, thank you to each of these individuals for serving our state in this essential capacity."

Hon. Pythias “Pete” Temesgen was appointed by Governor Brian Kemp to the Muscogee County State Court in 2022 and was elected to the position in 2024. Prior to taking the bench, he worked at Huff Powell & Bailey LLP, where he focused on civil litigation and trial practice. Temesgen also served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit. In addition to practicing law, he has taught classes at Columbus State University and has served on various civic boards and public commissions in Muscogee County. Temesgen is a 2019 graduate of Leadership Georgia. He is an alumnus of Princeton University and the Boston University School of Law. Temesgen and his wife have two children.

Hon. Harold Melton served for 16 years as a justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia and resigned as chief justice in 2021 following his appointment in 2018. Prior to leading Georgia's judicial branch, he served as executive counsel to Governor Sonny Perdue and as an assistant attorney general in the office of the attorney general in the Georgia Department of Law, where he also led the Consumer Protection Section for four years. Justice Melton joined law firm Troutman Pepper in July of 2021. He is a Board Member of Young Life and Atlanta Youth Academies, and, in November 2020, Auburn University renamed its student center after Justice Melton, who, as an undergraduate, became the university’s first Black president of the Student Government Association.

Allan Kamensky is Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Synovus, where he also serves as a member of the Synovus Executive Management Team. Prior to joining Synovus in 2014, he was a partner at Page, Scrantom, Sprouse, Tucker, and Ford P.C. in Columbus, Georgia. Kamensky is a graduate of Tulane University and the University of Georgia School of Law. He is active in his community and serves as a member of the board of directors for various non-profit organizations, including the Atlanta Police Foundation, the Southwestern Board of Operation Hope, and Hand in Hand.

Hon. Benjamin Land is a judge on the Georgia Court of Appeals. He was appointed to that position by Governor Brian Kemp in 2022 and was elected to a full term in 2024. Prior to serving on the Court of Appeals, Land was a Superior Court Judge for the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit. Prior to taking the bench, Land had a private law practice in Columbus for nearly 26 years, focusing on civil litigation and trial practice. Land is a “Double Dawg” and graduated second in his class at the University of Georgia School of Law. While in law school, he served on the Editorial Board of the Georgia Law Review, clerked for the Georgia Supreme Court, and was elected to the Order of the Coif. He was presented with the State Bar of Georgia's William B. Spann, Jr. Award for Pro Bono Advocacy for his efforts on behalf of a pro bono client. Land is a graduate of Leadership Columbus and has served as the President of the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit Bar Association, President of the Columbus Inn of Court, President of the Columbus Bar Association, District Representative for the State Bar of Georgia's Younger Lawyers Division, and member of the Clarke-Carley Inn of Court. In addition to the JNC, Land serves on the Georgia Child Support Commission and chairs the Court of Appeals Rules Committee. He and his wife have three children.