With Danny Craig taking a seat on the Superior Court bench, the governor can appoint someone to take Mr. Craig's place as district attorney for the Augusta Judicial Circuit.

Mr. Craig said Monday that he hopes to find out today when he will be sworn in and begin his new job as a judge.

The law says that when the district attorney leaves office before the end of his term, the chief assistant district attorney takes over, Mr. Craig said. His chief assistant is Bill Bowcutt.

Mr. Bowcutt has worked in the district attorney's office for 19 years.

"He's certainly more than capable," Mr. Craig said.

Mr. Craig said he believes the office is in good shape, the best it has been in some time. The jobs he always led -- death penalty prosecutions and white collar crime -- are down right now, he said.

And the office is fully staffed with 19 assistants. It is responsible for prosecuting felony cases in Richmond, Columbia and Burke counties.

The office also works the grand juries and juvenile courts in all three counties, and it prosecutes misdemeanor cases in Columbia County.

Mr. Craig, who has been district attorney for 15 years, is taking over the judgeship vacated by Neal W. Dickert, who resigned in November.

Mr. Craig's four-year term as district attorney expires this year. Both he and his replacement will be on the ballot for the office this year.

Gov. Sonny Perdue has appointed three district attorneys in recent years. He appointed district attorneys for the Stone Mountain and Paulding Judicial Circuits in 2004 and one for the Northeastern Judicial Circuit in 2005. Two of those appointments were needed because he had appointed the district attorneys to be judges.