Atlanta, November 3, 2015 – Chief Justice Hugh Thompson announced today that Cynthia H.
Clanton has been chosen as the new director of Georgia’s Administrative Office of the Courts
(AOC).

Ms. Clanton, 54, was chosen from a field of 25 applicants to lead the office, which is responsible
for providing a broad range of administrative, financial, legal, management and information
technology services to Georgia’s courts and the judicial branch. The AOC answers to the Judicial
Council, the policy-making body for the judiciary which is chaired by the Chief Justice and made
up of judges from all classes of courts.

Ms. Clanton, an attorney who has served as Interim Director since May of this year, has nearly
30 years of experience working in court administration, operations management, and
intergovernmental and legal affairs. Prior to becoming Interim Director, she served as General
Counsel of the AOC since 2002, providing legal advice to the judiciary and overseeing all
aspects of the department, including staff, budget, grants and projects.

A seven-member AOC Search Committee, chaired by Presiding Justice P. Harris Hines of the
Georgia Supreme Court, has been working since June of this year to identify a new Director.
After winnowing the number of applicants down to nine, the Committee conducted interviews
before making its final choice. In a special session this morning, the Judicial Council of Georgia
endorsed Ms. Clanton as the new AOC Director.

“This position requires a skillful balance of serving the courts’ needs while maintaining excellent
working relationships with both the executive and legislative branches,” Chief Justice Thompson
said. “We are confident Ms. Clanton has the leadership skills necessary to bring the
administration of our court system into the 21st century.”