By Joe Johnson
Judge Ryan Hope will soon be packing his black robes as he readies to hang them in a different court.
His elevation from Athens Clarke County Municipal Court to the county’s State Court was recently announced by Gov. Kemp’s office.
The appointment is to fill a vacancy on the bench created by the retirement of Judge Ethelyn Simpson.
On his Facebook page, the judge expressed gratitude for his new opportunity.
“I'm looking forward to continuing to serve the Athens community in this new role and working hard to earn the trust of Athens voters when it's election time for the post,” Hope said.
He is to be sworn into his new position next week.
Hope has served as judge of the Municipal Court of Athens-Clarke County since 2017, sitting by designation as both a State Court Judge in the county’s State Court and as a Superior Court Judge assisting Chief Judge Eric Norris.
Hope previously served as the county’s chief assistant solicitor in the Solicitor General's Office, and before that he worked as a public defender for the University of Georgia’s Legal Aid Clinic and the Western Judicial Circuit Public Defender Office. The judge received his J.D. from UGA.
Hope is active in the Athens community, serving as a board member for Timothy Road Elementary School PTO, board president for People Living in Recovery, and treasurer for the Executive Committee of the Council of Municipal Court Judges.
He and his wife Caron have two children, Slater and Emmy.