The first election in many years to select a Superior Court judge in the Lookout Mountain Judicial District has drawn Chris Arnt, Mike Giglio, Brian House, Bill Rhyne Jr. and Larry Stagg as candidates.

Four are attorneys from Ringgold and one is from LaFayette. The five have qualified and will appeal to voters in Dade, Catoosa, Walker and Chattooga counties for a four-year term in the Nov. 4 election.

Judge Ralph Hill, one of four Superior Court judges in the district, is retiring Jan. 1 after 13 years on the bench.

All the candidates or their friends maintain their strengths include honesty, temperament and the ability to be fair.

Each candidate cites a distinctive edge.

Mr. Arnt said he is the only candidate with personal experience in death penalty cases.

Mr. Giglio said his practice has included serving as Juvenile Court judge in the circuit for a decade.

Mr. House said he has the most years of law practice, 21. He said he has wanted to be a judge from the day he graduated from law school.

Mr. Rhyne said he is the oldest candidate at 48 and has held leadership positions throughout his life. He said he had considered running for a judgeship and decided to become a candidate when Judge Hill announced his retirement.

Mr. Stagg said his experience in the practice of law has been wide-ranging.

The candidates and their backgrounds are:

n Chris Arnt, 41, Ringgold, has been a prosecutor in the district attorney’s office for 16 years. He received his law degree from Emory University in 1992. He is married to Tracy, a high school teacher, and they have two children.

n Mike Giglio, 46, Ringgold, is an attorney and Juvenile Court judge. He received his law degree from Georgia State University. He is married to Greta and they are the parents of two college students.

n Brian House, 46, Ringgold, has practiced law for 21 years . He received his law degree from the University of Tennessee in 1987. He is married to Jama and they have one daughter.

n Bill Rhyne Jr., 48, LaFayette, has practiced law for 20 years. He received his law degree from Cumberland School of Law in 1988. He is married to Bobbi and they have a 13-year-old son.

n Larry Stagg, 42, Ringgold, has practiced law for 17 years. He received his law degree from the University of Georgia. He is married to Brandi and they have three children.

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