Atlanta, May 2, 2018 –Superior Court Judge George F. Hutchinson, III of the Gwinnett Judicial Circuit has been designated to serve in place of Justice Nels S.D. Peterson in the appeal of Ruth et al. v. Cherokee Funding, LLC et al. (S17G2021). The Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case on May 7 during its 2:00 P.M. session. In this case, two people are appealing a Georgia Court of Appeals ruling that the companies that advanced them money so they could bring a lawsuit did not violate laws against high interest loans. In addition to hearing arguments, Judge Hutchinson will participate in the Court’s decision.
Judge Hutchinson, 54, was appointed to the Gwinnett County Superior Court by Gov. Nathan Deal in January 2013. Prior to his appointment, Judge Hutchison served as the Chief Magistrate Judge of Gwinnett County from 2007-2013. He was a fulltime Magistrate Judge in Gwinnett County from 2004-2007. He served as an Assistant District Attorney from 1989-2004 in the Coweta Judicial Circuit and then in the Gwinnett Judicial Circuit.
Judge Hutchinson obtained his undergraduate degree in the Administration of Justice from Guilford College in 1986 and his law degree from Emory University School of Law in 1989.
Judge Hutchinson has served as a member of the Georgia Magistrate Retirement Board and is a former member of the Executive Committee of the Magistrate Court Council of Georgia. He has served as Chairman of the Criminal Justice Information Systems program for Gwinnett County and is a graduate of the National Judicial College’s general jurisdiction class. He is a former President of the Lawrenceville Kiwanis Club, where he remains a member. He has lectured for the Institute for Continuing Judicial Education and has spoken at the Georgia Judicial Leadership Academy.
Judge Hutchinson has been married to his wife, a teacher, for 26 years. They have two children.
(Designated judges are appointed when a justice must recuse himself or herself from a particular case. The Supreme Court of Georgia maintains a list of select judges from around the state and when the need arises, the Court appoints the next judge on the list.)