Candidate profile: Minter says he knows ins and outs of Superior Court

Published 11:10 pm Saturday, May 14, 2016

For the past 20 years, Scott Minter has been working in the Superior Courts of Whitfield and Murray counties.

Now, he wants to preside over them.

Minter, who has worked in the Conasauga District Attorney’s Office and is now the assistant district attorney, is running to fill the Superior Court judge’s position being vacated by the retirement of Jack Partain later this year. Minter, 42, faces Celeste Creswell and Steve Farrow in the nonpartisan election on May 24.

“There are a lot of different judges, but what we are running for is Superior Court judge, and I have spent my entire career practicing in Superior Court, every day, day in and day out,” Minter said. “I have tried the most serious cases all the way down to the most minor cases. I know what the needs of the court are and how to administer them.”

Minter is a native of Murray County and was educated in the Whitfield County school system, where his mother was a teacher. He graduated from Northwest Whitfield High in 1991 and from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in 1994. He is a 1997 graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law. From there, he soon went to work for the District Attorney’s Office in Murray County as an unpaid intern.

“I know the people of both counties because I have represented the people of both counties,” Minter said. “I grew up in Murray County but went to school in Whitfield County. I know law enforcement and attorneys and citizenry in both counties, so I feel I am uniquely qualified to be a judge in both counties.

“I have served both counties for 20 years, and I want to continue to serve both counties in another capacity.”

Minter said his role as the chief assistant district attorney isn’t far removed from the duties of a Superior Court judge. He said before he takes on the role of prosecutor he must determine if it is a case that needs to be prosecuted.

“A prosecutor has to make the same difficult decisions a judge makes,” Minter said. “We have to evaluate cases and decide whether or not we can prove that case beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury. We have to look at it critically from both sides because that is what the jury is going to see.”

He said serving his entire career as a prosecutor will not hinder him from being able to bring balanced justice to the bench.

“I would encourage anyone to ask any of the local defense attorneys and whoever you ask, they will tell you I am a fair person,” Minter said. “I try to treat everyone that I deal with in a case, I try to treat them fairly and with respect and treat them the way that I would want to be treated if I were on the other side of a case.”

Minter is the vice chairman of the Murray County Hospital Authority and is a member of the board of directors of the local Boys and Girls Clubs. He is a member of the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society and is also a member of the Rotary Club of Dalton and a past member of the Chatsworth-Murray Rotary Club. He is a graduate of Leadership Murray.