Gov. Kemp Announces Appointments to Superior Court, State Courts

Atlanta, GA – Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced four judicial appointments, three to state courts and one to superior court. The Governor will appoint the Honorable Matthew Rollins to the Superior Court of the Paulding Judicial Circuit, Matthew Swope to the State Court of Coweta County, the Honorable Charles Bailey to the State Court of Dekalb County Division A, and the Honorable Phyllis Williams to the State Court of Dekalb County Division B.

District Attorney Rollins will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of the Honorable Tonny S. Beavers from the Superior Court of the Paulding Judicial Circuit. Mr. Swope will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of the Honorable John Herbert Cranford from the State Court of Coweta County. Judge Bailey will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of the Honorable Johnny Panos from the State Court of Dekalb County Division A. Judge Williams will fill the vacancy created by the appointment of Judge Charles Bailey to the State Court of Dekalb County Division A.

Matthew Rollins serves as the District Attorney of the Paulding Judicial Curcuit. He previously served as an Assistant District Attorney in the same office. Born and raised in Georgia, Rollins served four years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps. After receiving an Honorable Discharge, he attended Kennesaw State University, where he received his B.S. in Political Science, and Mercer Law School, where he received his J.D. An active member of his community, Rollins is a member of the Dallas Lodge, the Paulding Rotary Club, and the Paulding Bar Association. Rollins and his wife, Minna, have one child and live in Acworth.

Matthew S. Swope is a Senior Assistant District Attorney in the Coweta County office of the Coweta Judicial Circuit, a position he has held since 2017. Before joining the District Attorney’s Office, he served as an Assistant Solicitor General in Coweta County and was an associate attorney at Rosenzweig, Jones, Horne, & Griffis, P.C. in Newnan, Georgia. Swope is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and the Newnan-Coweta Bar Association where he previously served on the Executive Board. Swope was a Board Member of Elevate Coweta Students and the Newnan-Coweta Boys and Girls Club. Swope received his J.D. from the Georgia State University College of Law and his B.A. from Elon University. Swope and his wife, Orren, live in Newnan and are expecting their first child in June.

Charles E. Bailey has served full-time on Division B of the State Court of DeKalb County since January 2022. He previously served the State Court as a pro hac judge and as a part-time judge in the Municipal Court of Decatur. Before pursuing a career in law, Judge Bailey worked for a community mental health center providing intensive case management services to people with chronic and severe mental illness. He also worked for several years in the field of higher education administration at Vanderbilt University. Judge Bailey serves on the Ministry Board and Board of Trustees for Developmental Disabilities Ministries, Inc. He previously served as Chair of the Board of Directors of Oakhurst Recovery Program. Judge Bailey earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School. Judge Bailey is the father of two adult children. He and his family reside in Decatur, Georgia.

Phyllis R. Williams serves as an Associate Judge in the Magistrate Court of DeKalb County. Judge Williams began her legal career at the law firm of Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers before starting her own firm and practicing as a trial attorney for over 25 years. In 2017, she merged her firm with Fox Legal, LLC, where she serves as of-counsel. In addition to her private practice, Judge Williams is currently an adjunct professor at Georgia State University College of Law. She is an active member of the DeKalb Bar Association, DeKalb Lawyers Association, Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Stonewall Bar Association, Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys, and Georgia Association of Women Attorneys. Judge Williams has also served on the Board of Directors for the South DeKalb YWCA, is a graduate of Leadership DeKalb, and is a member of the Leadership DeKalb Beacon Society. She graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in music with a concentration in piano performance and from Florida State University College of Law with her J.D.