Pembroke's Mount Moriah Baptist Church Senior Pastor Francys Johnson was appointed to serve both a three-year term as a member of the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism and a three-year-term on the Judicial Qualifications Commission Nominating Committee, according to a two separate press releases.

 Johnson is a bi-vocational attorney and pastor serving into his 21st year at the 130-year-old congregation.

The Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism, the first body of its kind in the nation, was created in 1989 by the Georgia Supreme Court with the primary charge to enhance professionalism among Georgia’s lawyers.  Chaired by Chief Justice Harold Melton and composed of representatives of the bar, judiciary, law schools, and the public, the Commission provides ongoing attention and assistance to the task of assuring that the practice of law remains a high calling, enlisted in the service of the client and the public good.  

The State Bar of Georgia held its Annual Meeting virtually on June 13, and approved Johnson to serve as a member of the Judicial Qualifications Commission Nominating Committee for the governing body of the legal profession in Georgia.  The Judicial Nominating Commission reviews applications and recommends candidates to fill judicial vacancies within the state, superior and appellate courts in Georgia.

“I will use my time striving to balance the scales of justice for all people,” said Johnson, reacting to the appointment.Johnson practices criminal and civil law in the state and federal courts in Georgia from his office on Main Street in downtown Statesboro.

A graduate of Georgia Southern University and The University of Georgia School of Law, Johnson is Chairman of the New Georgia Project, a transformational civic engagement organization founded by Stacey Abrams responsible for defeating voter suppression and advancing progressive values in the public policy. Previously, Johnson was President of the Georgia NAACP, this state's oldest and largest civil rights organization.