Georgia Governor Brian Kemp at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., March 20, 2026. REUTERS/Alyssa Pointer
A Georgia judge lost her reelection, but Gov. Brian Kemp (R) is appointing her to the bench again anyway.
The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported on Friday that Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker, who was voted out last month, has now been nominated to the Georgia Court of Appeals and it could even earn her a salary bump.
Whitaker has been a judge since 2017, but was voted out in a non-partisan election over former prosecutor and judicial newcomer Nikia Smith Sellers.
Kemp made the announcement on Friday in a release, glowing about her vast experience and civic causes, but made no mention that she was voted out of office.
AJC deputy politics editor remarked about the new appointment: "After Voters ousted Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker, Gov. Brian Kemp appointed her to the Court of Appeals. Now Kemp gets to pick her replacement on the Superior Court, potentially voiding the results of the May election."
Whitaker is perhaps best known for taking over Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ prosecution of superstar rapper Young Thug (a.k.a. Jeffrey Williams). The trial drew international news as Williams was accused of being the head of an organized criminal gang known as YSL or Young Slime Life. At one point, Whitaker repeated song lyrics that included the N-word. Williams' defense attorneys claimed that his crew was part of a non-criminal-record labor group, "Young Stoner Life." Williams ultimately took a plea deal.
Whitaker's current salary, according to GovSalaries.com, was $134,790 in 2021. The state assembly gave judges a boost in 2025, however, the boost for the appeals court judges went up to from $185,000 now to $212,000, the Associated Press reported.
Whitaker is one of two judges ousted by prosecutors in the Fulton County District Attorney's office.
As Politics reporter Greg Blustein noted, "now comes the question to determine what happens to the Superior Court seat won by prosecutor Nikia Smith Sellers, who defeated Whitaker in May and is set to take office Jan. 1."