Assistant U.S. attorney Frank Pennington launches bid for Chatham County Superior Court Judge

Frank Pennington, an assistant U.S. attorney and lifelong Savannahian, announced his bid for Chatham County Superior Court Judge Friday afternoon at Taylor Square. There were about 50 attendees of friends, family and supporters.

Pennington said he aims to have a court that is accessible to all people, listens to people's needs and incorporates those needs in a way that moves cases efficiently.

"I make this promise: no matter who you are, no matter what zip code you live in, how much money you have or you don't have, whether you are a victim or you find yourself accused of a crime, my courtroom will be a place of fairness," Pennington said during a speech Friday.

The Superior Court Judge election will be held on May 21 in a nonpartisan race. Superior Court Judges are elected to four-year terms, and judges Penny Haas Freesemann, John E. Morse Jr., and Lisa Colbert are up for reelection this year. Christopher Middleton, a Savannah lawyer, has also announced a run for a seat.

More: EXPLAINER: How does the Chatham County Superior Court operate?

Friday's speech focused heavily on Pennington's connection to Chatham County and his 20-year career as an attorney. Pennington referenced how his mother was a police chief in Thunderbolt and recalled growing up on 48th Street and 46th Street in Savannah.

Before his tenure as an assistant U.S. attorney, Pennington was an assistant district attorney in Chatham County. He served a stint as Deputy Chief ADA and had positions on the Major Crimes Division-Special Victims Unit and on Chatham County's Sexual Assault Response Team.

"Throughout my career I have been a champion of victim's rights," Pennington said.

A couple colleagues and supporters spoke at Friday's event. One, Lawrence Bryan III, met Pennington on a case for his late son, Lawrence Bryan IV. Bryan IV was murdered in 2015, and Pennington "cracked the case" through his work ethic and passion for law, Bryan III said Friday.

"He has the passion. He has the work ethic," Bryan III said.

Maria Justus, a lawyer in town who has worked with Pennington, also spoke in support of his candidacy. Justus said she first met Pennington when she was a superior court intern and first-year law student in Savannah.

At that time, Justus did not want to enter trial law because of how people so often treated each other in the court, she said. But that changed after sitting in on a trial Pennington prosecuted.

"It was very different," Justus said. "He treated everybody in the courtroom-- the defense counsel, the judge, the deputies, the defendant-- all with respect."

The moment inspired Justus to pursue trial law, she said.

One issue Pennington broached in his speech were concerns over case backlog in the court. One solution is to better track what court motions are driving the backlog, Pennington said. Understanding the source can help prioritizing cases, he said.

Among the attendees Friday were Savannah Alderman Nick Palumbo and County Commissioner Tanya Milton. Pennington chose Taylor Square for the announcement in part because his church home, Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church, sits on the square.

"That was part of it, but truthfully because I just feel a strong connection to Savannah and the squares themselves," Pennington said in an interview.

Evan Lasseter is the city and county government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Assistant U.S. attorney launches Chatham County Superior judge bid