The race is on to fill the opening created by the retirement of Georgia Supreme Court Justice Robert Benham, as Athens lawyer and former U.S. Rep. John Barrow announced his candidacy for the job Monday.

“An appellate court depends on the combined experience of its judges to arrive at decisions that are fair and just,” Barrow said in a news release Monday. “When Justice Benham retires, the Supreme Court will lose almost as much experience as the rest of the Court combined. That’s why I’m running—to offer my experience to help maintain the kind of balance we want in our Supreme Court.”