Dwayne Gillis, Chief Judge of the Waycross Judicial Circuit, has sent a letter to Gov. Brian Kemp announcing his retirement effective February 5.
Gillis’ term will be up this year and the seat will be open in the May primary. Governor Kemp may appointment a replacement in the interim, however.
Judge Gillis was appointed to the bench by then-Gov. Roy Barnes in 2001. He became chief judge of the circuit on the death of former Chief Judge Stephen Jackson in 2008.
Judge Jeffrey Kight, also of Douglas, will now become the chief judge of the circuit. Judge Kight was appointed to the bench in 2012 by then-Gov. Nathan Deal. Kight filled the position vacated when Judge Mike Boggs was appointed to the state court of appeals.
Judge Gillis has been re-elected five times without opposition. Prior to his appointment to the Superior Court, he was appointed as the Municipal Court Judge for the City of Douglas. He also served on the Circuit Juvenile Court.
Judge Gillis practiced civil and criminal law in Douglas, his hometown, from June 1990 until his appointment to the bench. Prior to entering law school, he was a full-time police officer. A native of South Georgia, Judge Gillis graduated from Valdosta State College and the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. He has served on several commissions, boards and committees, including for the Magnolia House Domestic Violence Shelter, the Truancy Protocol Committee and the Domestic Violence Task Force.
He and his wife, Pam, have three children and seven grandchildren. Judge Gillis enjoys mission work, hunting and fishing. He is a deacon at the First Baptist Church in Douglas.
