Gov. Kemp Announces Appointments in the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit

Atlanta, GA – Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced two appointments in the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit. The Governor will appoint Carolyn “Tippi” Cain Burch to serve as a judge on the Superior Court of the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit and Don Kelly to serve as the District Attorney of the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit.

Ms. Burch will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of the Honorable Ron Mullins from the Superior Court of the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit. Mr. Kelly will fill the remainder of the Honorable Stacey Jackson’s term following District Attorney Jackson’s extended medical leave and untimely passing this month.

Carolyn “Tippi” Cain Burch is a native of Columbus, Georgia, with twenty-three years of experience practicing law in trial and appellate courts. She has worked in private practice representing individuals, businesses, business owners, government entities, and candidates and committees – including at King & Spalding LLP, Chalmers, Pak & Burch LLC, and, most recently, as a solo practitioner in Columbus. She also previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Appellate Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. Ms. Burch is active in her community and serves as a Master in the Clarke-Carley American Inn of Court and the Columbus American Inn of Court. She is the Secretary of the Columbus Bar Association and is a member of the Leadership Georgia Class of 2014. Ms. Burch has also served on the Executive Board of the Atlanta Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society and the Board of Trustees for the Georgia Legal History Foundation. She is an active member of the State Bar of Georgia where she previously served on the Business Court Special Committee and was a member of the YLD Leadership Academy Class of 2009.

Ms. Burch earned her undergraduate degree from Auburn University and her law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. Following law school, she clerked in the Superior Court for the Macon Judicial Circuit and for the Honorable C. Ashley Royal in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. Ms. Burch lives in Columbus with her husband, Sam Burch, and their daughter, Winnie. She and her family are active members of St. Paul United Methodist Church in Columbus.

Don Kelly is a native of Columbus, Georgia and currently serves as the Acting District Attorney of the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit. He began his career as an assistant district attorney in the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit. In 1996, Mr. Kelly opened his own law firm and practiced civil and criminal litigation for several years before returning to the Chattahoochee District Attorney’s Office in 2003. Mr. Kelly has served as a prosecutor consistently for the last 21 years. He was the leader of the Violent Crime Unit from 2014 until 2020, where he oversaw the prosecution of all serious violent felonies in Columbus and acted as the lead prosecutor in over 50 murder cases. The late District Attorney Stacey Jackson appointed Mr. Kelly to serve as the Chief Assistant District Attorney in July 2022. When District Attorney Jackson took medical leave in November 2023, Mr. Kelly stepped in as Acting District Attorney in his absence.

Mr. Kelly earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia and his law degree from Georgia State University College of Law. Following law school, Mr. Kelly served as a law clerk for the Honorable Mullins Whisnant and the Honorable Bill Smith, both superior court judges in the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit. He lives in Columbus with his wife, Allison, who is a teacher. The Kelly’s have four adult children and attend St. Paul United Methodist Church in Columbus.