Former Columbus attorney and later judge appointed to Georgia Supreme Court
A former Columbus attorney has been appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court by Gov. Brian Kemp, the governor’s office announced Thursday.
The release says Kemp, “after careful consideration of multiple accomplished and noteworthy candidates,” chose Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Benjamin A. Land as his appointment to the Georgia Supreme Court.
Land will fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Michael P. Boggs, according to the release.
“Judge Land has earned the respect of his peers and hardworking Georgians through his commitment to fairness and impartiality, his strong work ethic and his integrity,” Kemp said in a statement.
Kemp said Land’s experience as a former litigator, “will make him a valuable addition to the Supreme Court.”
Who is Ben Land?
Land graduated from the University of Georgia, where he also earned his law degree and finished second in his class, according to the release.
The release says, during law school, Land served on the Editorial Board of the Georgia Law Review, clerked for the Georgia Supreme Court and was elected to the Order of Coif (a honor society for law students).
Land was a private practice attorney in Columbus for nearly 26 years with a focus on civil litigation, according to the release.
“He represented plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of cases, obtained several record-setting verdicts, and played a key role in the defense of numerous nationwide class action lawsuits,” the release says.
Land served as a Superior Court judge for the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit after being appointed in February 2018 by former Gov. Nathan Deal. Kemp appointed Land to the Georgia Court of Appeals in July 2022. Land won statewide election for a six-year term in 2024.
Land was presented with the William B. Spann Jr. award for Pro Bono advocacy by the State Bar of Georgia, is a graduate of Leadership Columbus, served as president of the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit Bar Association , president of the of Columbus Inn of Court and president of the Columbus Bar Association, according to the release.
Land has served on the Council of Superior Court Judges Budget Committee, Pattern Jury Instructions Committee and the Judicial Council’s Court Reporting Matters Committee, the release says.