Philip Smith has been tapped to fill Forsyth County’s third Superior Court judgeship. Smith’s appointment was announced Monday afternoon by Gov. Nathan Deal, who also selected Leslie Abernathy, Forsyth’s solicitor general, to fill Smith’s vacancy on the State Court bench in Forsyth. Both appointments will take effect upon swearing in, which has not been set. The Bell-Forsyth Judicial Circuit, which is composed solely of Forsyth County, received the third Superior Court judge with the passage of Senate Bill 356 during the 2012 Georgia General Assembly. Smith will join sitting Forsyth County Superior Court Judges Jeffrey Bagley and David Dickinson. Court officials have said the additional judge will help relieve the increasing backlog of cases caused in part by a growing population. Last month, the Georgia Judicial Nominating Commission narrowed the field of candidates for the opening to Smith and Abernathy. Commission co-chair Randy Evans said at the time that both candidates “were imminently qualified.” Smith, who has served as a State Court judge since 2003, earned his bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University and his law degree from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Pamela, live in Cumming. Abernathy holds a bachelor’s degree from North Georgia College and State University and a law degree from John Marshall Law School. She and her husband, Stephen Maddox, live in Cumming and have five children. Check back for updates at forsythnews.com or see the next edition of the Forsyth County News.