LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN JUDICIAL CIRCUIT — Governor Brian P. Kemp named Kathleen Van Pelt Davis as district attorney for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit. The appointment took effect on July 21.

The appointment fills a vacancy created by the resignation of Clay Fuller. Fuller resigned after being elected to Congress. He serves as the U.S. representative for Georgia's 14th congressional district since April 2026. Fuller was elected in a special election in April 2026 to succeed fellow Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Kathleen Van Pelt Davis currently serves as a Special Assistant Attorney General. In that role, she represents the Division of Family and Children Services and the Division of Aging services. Her responsibilities cover the four counties of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit. She previously worked as an associate Special Assistant Attorney General serving under Judge Steven M. Ellis.

Davis has been a director of the law firm Bowers & Davis, LLC for 11 years. She represents litigants in criminal and domestic matters. She also conducts mediations throughout Northwest Georgia.

Her legal education began at the University of Georgia, where she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor’s in Political Science. She later attended the University of Georgia School of Law, graduating cum laude. During law school, she participated in the Prosecutorial Clinic. She served under District Attorney Kermit McManus of the Conasauga Judicial Circuit during that clinical experience.

Kathleen Van Pelt Davis, her husband, and their four children reside in Catoosa County. Under Georgia law, the special election to fill the vacancy must occur on the November 2026 general election date. The appointment of Davis met the six-month threshold before the next general election. This timing ensures a full four-year term for the successor in the special election.

The Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit has seen multiple gubernatorial appointments to fill district attorney vacancies in recent years. In 2023, Governor Brian P. Kemp appointed Chris Arnt as District Attorney for the circuit after Ralph Van Pelt Jr. resigned to become a judge. This established a precedent for such appointments in the jurisdiction.

The transition follows Fuller's departure from the district attorney's office, where he served from 2023 until his resignation in 2026. Before his election to the state's top prosecutor role, Fuller served as a White House Fellow from 2018 to 2019. During that fellowship, he worked in the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Defense. He was awarded the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in counterterrorism during that period.