Keith Blackwell, sworn in Thursday as the 92nd justice on the Georgia Supreme Court, thanked his family for their support and vowed to serve "with integrity, independence and collegiality."
Gov. Nathan Deal administered the oath during a ceremony in the House chambers of the state Capitol. Blackwell succeeds George Carley, who retired this week after more than 30 years on the appellate bench.
Blackwell, who grew up in Ball Ground and now lives in Smyrna, told the assembly he got his desire for public service from his father, Robert, who served more than three decades in the armed forces, and his love of country from his mother, Peggy, an American history teacher.
The 37-year-old justice also thanked his wife, Angela, and his three young daughters for their inspiration and encouragement.
Blackwell, one of seven finalists for the vacancy, was serving on the Georgia Court of Appeals when Deal picked him for his new position. Blackwell graduated first in his undergraduate and law school classes at the University of Georgia and served as an assistant district attorney in Cobb County.
He once chaired the Atlanta chapter of the Federalist Society, a conservative legal group, and also chaired Lawyers for Deal.
"His being number one in his classes is no fluke," said Ron Coleman, a former law partner of Blackwell's who introduced the new justice. "He's a quick study and a master of the facts and the law."
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