Judges 1907 – Present

Our Judges

• Benjamin Harvey Hill
  1907-1913 & 1920 – 1922, Chief Judge 1907-1913 No name stands higher ill the annals of Georgia than that of Benjamin Harvey Hill. Few men in the nation have ranked Read More
• Richard Brevard Russell
  1907 – 1916, Chief Judge 1913-1916 RICHARD B. RUSSELL served on the Georgia Court of Appeals 1907-1916 and on the Georgia Supreme Court 1922-1938. He was Chief Judge of the Read More
• Arthur Gray Powell
  1907 – 1912 ARTHUR GRAY POWELL served on the Georgia Court of Appeals 1907-1912. He was born in Blakely, Early County, Georgia, September 3, 1873, and died August 5, 1951. Read More
• James Robert Pottle
  1912 – 1914 JAMES ROBERT POTTLE served on the Georgia Court of Appeals January 1912 until February 1914. He was born at Warrenton, Ga., on January 6, 1875, and died Read More
• Leonard S. Roan
  1913 – 1914 Leonard Strickland Roan was born on the 7th of February 1849, in Henry County, Georgia. He died at the Polyclinic Hospital, in the city of New York, Read More
• Peyton L. Wade
  1914 – 1919, Chief Judge 1916-1919 PEYTON L. WADE served on the Georgia Court of Appeals February 4, 1914, until August 29, 1919, and served as Chief Judge 1916-1919. He Read More
• Nash Rose Broyles
  1914-1947, Chief Judge 1919-1947 NASH R. BROYLES served on the Georgia Court of Appeals 1914-1947. He was born in Atlanta, October 16, 1868, and died April 7, 1947. He was Read More
• Robert Hodges
  1916 – 1916 ROBERT HODGES served on the Georgia Court of Appeals June 6, 1916, until December 12, 1916. He was born in Macon, Bibb County, Ga., March 9, 1868, Read More
• Oliver Hazzard Bartow Bloodworth
  1917 – 1932 OLIVER HAZZARD BARTOW BLOODWORTH served on the Court of Appeals of Georgia from January 1, 1917, to June 17, 1932. He was born in Liberty Hall, Pike Read More
• Walter Franklin George
  1917 – 1917 WALTER FRANKLIN GEORGE served on the Court of Appeals of Georgia from January 1, 1917, to October 1, 1917, and thereafter until 1922 on the Supreme Court Read More
• Roscoe Luke
  1917 – 1932 ROSCOE LUKE served on the Court of Appeals for 15 years, January 1, 1917, until November 14, 1932. He was born April 7, 1880, in Thomasville, Georgia, Read More
• William Franklin Jenkins
  1917 – 1937 WILLIAM FRANKLIN JENKINS served on the Court of Appeals for 20 years, 1916-1936. From latter date to 1946 he was a Justice on the Supreme Court and Read More
• Frank Harwell
  1917 – 1918 FRANK HARWELL served on the Court of Appeals for two years, 1917-1918. He was born in Troup County, Georgia, October 21, 1867, and died November 10, 1938, Read More
• Alexander William Stephens
  1918 – 1943 ALEXANDER W. STEPHENS served on the Court of Appeals of Georgia from 1918 until the 16th of December, 1943. He was born January 14, 1874, in Atlanta Read More
• Charles Whitefoord Smith
  1919 – 1920 CHARLES WHITEFOORD SMITH served on the Court of Appeals of Georgia September 12, 1919, until November 15, 1920. He was born near Beaufort, South Carolina, on April Read More
• Reason Chesnutt Bell
  1922 – 1932 REASON CHESNUTT BELL served on the Court of Appeals for 10 years, from 1921-1931; on the Supreme Court for 17 years, from 1932 1949. He served as Read More
• I. Homer Sutton
  1932 – 1954, Chief Judge 1947 – 1954 I. HOMER SUTTON was a Court of Appeals Judge from 1932-1944, then served as Presiding Judge until 1947, and Chief Judge until Read More
• Frank A. Hooper, Jr.
  1932 – 1932 FRANK ARTHUR HOOPER, JR., served on the Court of Appeals of Georgia for seven months during 1932 to fill the unexpired term of Judge O.H.B. Bloodworth. He Read More
• Hugh James MacIntyre
  1932 – 1952 HUGH JAMES MACINTYRE served on the Court of Appeals of Georgia from November 14, 1932, until February 27,1952. He was born in Thomas County, Georgia, on January Read More
• John Benjamin Guerry
  1933 – 1940 JOHN B. GUERRY served on the Georgia Court of Appeals January 1, 1933, until May 16, 1940. He was born at Georgetown, Georgia, on August 31, 1882, Read More
• Jule Wimberly Felton
  1937 – 1969, Chief Judge 1954 – 1969 Jule Wimberly Felton was born on August 22, 1898, in Montezuma, Macon County, Georgia, of a distinguished family. Justice Felton had a Read More
• Bernard Clay Gardner, Sr.
  1940 – 1960 BERNARD CLAY GARDNER served on the Court of Appeals of Georgia from 1940 until early 1961. He was born in Garden Valley, Georgia, February 14, 1882, and Read More
• David Monroe Parker
  1944 – 1949 DAVID MONROE PARKER served on the Court of Appeals of Georgia from 1944 to June 4, 1949. He was born in Baxley, Appling County, Georgia, on August Read More
• John Murphy Clagett Townsend
  1947 – 1961 JOHNSON MURPHY CLAGGETT TOWNSEND served on the Court of Appeals of Georgia from 1947 to 1961. He was born in Dade County, Georgia, November 30, 1899, and Read More
• Charles William Worrill
  1949 – 1953 CHARLES WILLIAM WORRILL served on the Court of Appeals 1949-1953 and on the Supreme Court 1953-1954, when he retired and was appointed Justice Emeritus for life. He Read More
• Ira Carlisle
  1952 – 1963 IRA CARLISLE served on the Georgia Court of Appeals 1952-1963. He was born in Thomas County, Georgia, on June 10, 1885. He died in Thomasville on December Read More
• Joseph Dillard Quillian
  1953 – 1960 JOSEPH DILLARD QUILLIAN served on the Court of Appeals for seven years, 1953-1960, and the Supreme Court for six years, 1960-1966, and thereafter was Justice Emeritus until Read More
• Horace Elmo Nichols
  1954 – 1966 HORACE ELMO NICHOLS was born on July 16, 1912, in Elkmont, Limestone County, Alabama. He attended public schools in Birmingham and received his law degree from Cumberland Read More
• John Sammons Bell
  1960 – 1979, Chief Judge 1969 – 1979 OHN SAMMONS BELL served on the Georgia Court of Appeals 1960-1979. He was born January 26, 1914, in Macon, Bibb County, Georgia, Read More
• John Eccleston Frankum
  1960 – 1967 JOHN ECCLESTON FRANKUM served on the Court of Appeals 1960-1967 and the Supreme Court 1967-1970. He was born March 6, 1898, at Soque, Habersham County, Georgia, and Read More
• Robert Henry Jordan
  1960 – 1972 ROBERT HENRY JORDAN was born in Talbot County, Georgia, on February 6, 1916. He attended public school in Talbotton and holds a Juris Doctor degree from the Read More
• Homer Christian Eberhardt
  1961 – 1974 HOMER CHRISTIAN EBERHARDT served on the Court of Appeals of Georgia from 1961 until 1974. He was born in Banks County, Georgia, October 31, 1904, and died Read More
• Robert H. Hall
  1961 – 1974 ROBERT HOWELL HALL served as Judge, Georgia Court of Appeals 1961-1974; Justice, Supreme Court of Georgia 1974-1979; United States District Judge, Northern District of Georgia, since 1979. Read More
• William Vance Custer, Jr.
  1961 – 1962 WILLIAM VANCE CUSTER, JR., served on the Georgia Court of Appeals, October 9,1961, to January 31,1962 (three months and 22 days). He was born in Mobile, Alabama, Read More
• Robert Lee Russell, Jr.
  1962 – 1965 ROBERT LEE RUSSELL, JR., served in the Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1961-1965. He was born in DeKalb County, Georgia, on February 21, 1925, and died June Read More
• Charles Adams Pannell
  1963 – 1976 CHARLES A. PANNELL, SR., served on the Georgia Court of Appeals 1963-1976. He was born in Eton, Murray County, Georgia, June 19, 1911. He attended Young Harris Read More
• Braswell D. Deen, Jr.
  1965 – 1990, Chief Judge 1979 – 1980 BRASWELL D. DEEN, JR. was appointed to the Court of Appeals of Georgia in 1965 by Governor Carl E. Sanders, and served as Read More
• J. Kelley Quillian
  1966 – 1984, Chief Judge 1981 – 1982 JOHN KELLEY QUILLIAN served on the Court of Appeals from 1966-1984. He was born on February 7, 1930, in Winder, Barrow County, Read More
• George Stanley Joslin
  1967 – 1967 GEORGE STANLEY JOSLIN was born on July 20, 1911, in Sextonville, Richland County, Wisconsin. He graduated from Cornell College in 1934 and from the University of Wisconsin Read More
• George Price Whitman
  1967 – 1972 GEORGE PRICE WHITMAN, SR., served on the Court of Appeals, 1967-1971. He was born in Marshfield, Wood County, Wisconsin, on August 2, 1883, and died June 19, Read More
• Randall Evans, Jr.
  1969 – 1976 Randall Evans, Jr. was born May 3, 1906, in Thomson, Georgia into a large, poor, but hard-working family. He attended McDuffie County Schools and there attained good Read More
• H. Sol Clark
  1972 – 1977 H. SOL CLARK served on the Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1972-1976. He was born in Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia, on December 29, 1906. He attended Savannah Read More
• Irwin W. Stolz, Jr.
  1972 – 1977 IRWIN W. STOLZ, JR., served on the Court of Appeals of Georgia 1972-1977. He was born November 9, 1929, at Emory University, Georgia. He attended the University Read More
• Julian Webb
  1974 – 1979 JULIAN WEBB served on the Georgia Court of Appeals 1974-1979. He was born October 2, 1911, in Byromville, Dooly County, Georgia. He was graduated from Mercer University Read More
• Thomas O. Marshall
  1974 – 1977 THOMAS O. MARSHALL is a native of Sumter County, and was born June 24, 1920, in Americus. He attended public schools there, graduating from Americus High in Read More
• William Leroy McMurray, Jr.
  1976 – 2000, Chief Judge 1984 Judge William LeRoy McMurray, Jr. was born on April 11, 1925, to William LeRoy McMurray, Sr. and Ethel M. McMurray in Rock Hill, South Read More
• George T. Smith
  1976 – 1980 GEORGE T. SMITH was born October 15, 1916, and is a native of Mitchell County, Georgia. After graduating valedictorian of his class at Hopeful High School, he Read More
• Arnold Shulman
  1977 -1984, Chief Judge 1983 ARNOLD SHULMAN served on the Court of Appeals of Georgia from 1977 to 1984, as Chief Judge in 1983. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Read More
• Harold R. Banke
  1977 – 1991, Chief Judge 1985 – 1986 HAROLD R. BANKE was born in Pilot Point, Texas, August 8,1916. He graduated Pilot Point High School (1935). On graduation from high Read More
• A.W. Birdsong, Jr.
  1977 – 1998, Chief Judge 1987 – 1988 Judge A. W. “Buck” Birdsong, Jr. was born on January 30, 1925 in LaGrange, Troup County, Georgia to A. W. Birdsong, Sr. Read More
• Norman L. Underwood
  1979 – 1979 NORMAN LEE UNDERWOOD served on the Court of Appeals from February 16, 1979 to December 31, 1979. He was born July IS, 1941, in Calhoun, Gordon County, Read More
• George H. Carley
  1979 – 1993, Chief Judge 1989 – 1990 Justice George H. Carley of Decatur was born in Jackson, Mississippi on September 24, 1938 to George L. Carley, Jr. and Dorothy Read More
• John W. Sognier
  1980 – 1992, Chief Judge 1991-1992 JOHN WOODWARD SOGNIER is a native of Savannah, Ga. He was born December 17, 1919, to Joseph W. Sognier and Viola Trott Sognier, both Read More
• Marion T. Pope, Jr.
  1981 – 2002, Chief Judge 1993 – 1994 Judge Marion T. Pope, Jr. was born September 28,1927 in Thomaston, Upson County, Georgia, to Marion T. Pope, Sr. and Hulette Irene Read More
• Robert Benham
  1984 – 1989 Justice Robert Benham, a life-long resident of Georgia, was born September 25, 1946, to Jesse Knox Benham and Clarence Benham in Cartersville, Georgia. He graduated from Summer Read More
• Dorothy Toth Beasley
  1984 – 1999, Chief Judge 1995-1996 Judge Dorothy Toth Beasley is the daughter of Judge Stephen Toth, retired, Bergen County Court, New Jersey, and Beatrice Elizabeth Dodd Toth. Sister Stephanie Read More
• Clarence Cooper
  1990 – 1994 Born in Decatur, Georgia, on May 5,1942 to Herman & Hazel Cooper and reared in the Edgewood/Kirkwood area of Atlanta, Judge Clarence Cooper is a product of Read More
• Gary Blaylock Andrews
  1991 – 2018, Chief Judge 1997-1998 Presiding Judge Gary Blaylock Andrews was elected to the Georgia Court of Appeals in November, 1990, and took office on January 1, 1991. He was Read More
• Edward H. Johnson
  1992 – 2010, Chief Judge 1999-2000 Judge Edward H. Johnson is a native Georgian born in Newnan, Coweta County. He served as Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals from January Read More
• G. Alan Blackburn
  1993 – 2010, Chief Judge 2001-2002 Judge G. Alan Blackburn was born May 6, 1939 in East Bend, N.C. He attended the public schools of Atlanta, Georgia, Yadkin County, North Carolina Read More
• J. D. Smith
  1993 – 2011, Chief Judge 2003-2004 Presiding Judge J.D. Smith was appointed by Governor Zell Miller to the Georgia Court of Appeals, effective May 10, 1993. He is a past Chief Read More
• John H. Ruffin, Jr.
  1994 – 2008, Chief Judge 2005-2006 Presiding Judge John H. Ruffin, Jr. became the 62nd Judge of the Court of Appeals of Georgia when he was administered the oath of Read More
• Frank M. Eldridge
  1996 – 2004 Judge Frank M. Eldridge is a native of Atlanta and was born March 26, 1939, to Thomas Mooreman Eldridge and Leila Elizabeth Mason Eldridge. He is married to Read More
• Anne Elizabeth Barnes
  Presiding Judge Anne Elizabeth Barnes won election in 1998 to the Georgia Court of Appeals in a three-way race without a runoff, and took office January 1, 1999. She was the first woman to be elected in a state-wide judicial race without having been first appointed to the bench Read More
• M. Yvette Miller
  Presiding Judge M. Yvette Miller was appointed to the Georgia Court of Appeals on July 12, 1999, and became the 65th Judge on the court. She is the first African-American woman to serve on the Court as well as the first African-American woman to serve as the Court’s Chief Judge. Read More
• John J. Ellington
  1999 – 2018, Chief Judge 2011 & 2012 – 2013 Presiding Judge John J. Ellington from Soperton, Treutlen County, Georgia, was sworn in as the 66th Judge of the Georgia Court Read More
• Herbert E. Phipps
  Judge Herbert E. Phipps was born to J.W. Phipps and Marion Gadson Phipps in Baker County, Georgia. He and his wife, Connie Curry Phipps, have a son, Herbert E. Phipps, Jr., a daughter, India K. Epps, a son-in-law, Will J. Epps, a granddaughter, Zoë Olivia Epps Read More
• Charles B. Mikell
  2000 – 2012, Chief Judge 2011 – 2012 Presiding Judge Charles B. Mikell was born in Savannah on December 25, 1941 and received his undergraduate degree in History from Princeton University Read More
• A. Harris Adams
  2002 – 2012 Judge A. Harris Adams was a native of Toombs County, Georgia, and was the son of Harris Leon Adams and Addie Mann Adams. He was educated in the Read More
• Debra Bernes
  2005 – 2010 Judge Debra Bernes was the daughter of Alvin and Sherry Halpern. After graduating from Atlanta’s Henry Grady High School in 1973, Judge Bernes entered the University of Florida, Read More
• Sara L. Doyle
  Presiding Judge Sara L. Doyle was elected to the Georgia Court of Appeals in December, 2008 and took office on January 1, 2009. In 2014 and 2020, she was elected to her second and third six- year term. From July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2017, Judge Doyle was the Court’s Chief Judge Read More
• Keith R. Blackwell
  2010 – 2012 Judge Keith R. Blackwell was appointed by Governor Sonny Perdue on November 1, 2010. He served at the Court of Appeals until July 2012, when he was appointed Read More
• Stephen Dillard
  Presiding Judge Stephen Louis A. Dillard was appointed as the 73rd judge of the Court of Appeals of Georgia on November 1, 2010 by Governor Sonny Perdue. Prior to his appointment, Judge Dillard was in private practice with James, Bates, Pope & Spivey in Macon, serving as chairman of the firm’s appellate practice group. Read More
• Christopher McFadden
  Presiding Judge Christopher J. McFadden was elected in November 2010 for a term beginning January 1, 2011 and reelected in 2016. He is a son of the late Isabel McFadden and the late Judge Donald B. McFadden, who served for twenty years as a trial court judge in Akron, Ohio. Read More
• Michael P. Boggs
  2012 – 2016 Judge Michael P. Boggs was appointed to the Court of Appeals of Georgia on January 6, 2012 by Governor Nathan Deal. On July 31, 2012, Judge Boggs was Read More
• William M. Ray, II
  2012 – 2018 Judge William M. Ray, II (Billy) was born in Macon, Georgia in 1963 and raised in Peach and Crawford Counties. He is the son of a farmer. Judge Read More
• Elizabeth L. “Lisa” Branch
  2012 – 2018 Judge Elizabeth L. Branch (Lisa) was appointed as the 77th judge of the Court of Appeals of Georgia by Governor Nathan Deal, taking office on September 4, 2012. Read More
• Carla McMillian
  2013 – 2020 Judge Carla Wong McMillian was appointed to the Court of Appeals of Georgia by Governor Nathan Deal, taking office on January 24, 2013.  Born and raised in Augusta, Read More
• Brian M. Rickman
  Chief Judge Brian M. Rickman was appointed to the Georgia Court of Appeals in November 2015 by Governor Nathan Deal and took office on January 1, 2016. Born in Madison County, Georgia, Judge Rickman was a jailer working in the Rabun County Detention Center before entering Piedmont College where he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in 1998. Read More
• Amanda H. Mercier
  Judge Amanda H. Mercier was appointed to the Georgia Court of Appeals by Governor Nathan Deal and took office on January 4, 2016. In 2018 she was elected to serve a full six year term after an uncontested election. Prior to her appointment to the Court of Appeals, Judge Mercier was appointed to the Superior Court in the Appalachian Judicial Circuit on July 15, 2010 by Governor Sonny Perdue. Read More
• Nels S.D. Peterson
  2015 -2016 Judge Nels S.D. Peterson was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal to the Court of Appeals in December 2015 and took office January 1, 2016. Judge Peterson graduated from Kennesaw Read More
• Clyde L. Reese
  Judge Clyde L. Reese III was appointed to the Court of Appeals of Georgia on November 1 of 2016 by Governor Nathan Deal to begin serving on the Court on December 1, 2016. Judge Reese was born in Florence, S.C. and moved to Atlanta with his parents in 1969 at the age of ten. Read More
• Tilman E. “Tripp” Self
  2017 – 2018 On November 9, 2016, Governor Nathan Deal appointed Macon native, Chief Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self, III, to serve as the 83rd Judge on the Georgia Court of Appeals.  Read More
• Charlie Bethel
  2017 – 2018 Charles Jones (“Charlie”) Bethel born in Athens and raised in Dalton, a place he and his family still call home. On November 9, 2016, Governor Nathan Deal appointed Read More
• Trenton Brown
  Judge Trenton Brown III was appointed and sworn in by Governor Nathan Deal as the 85th judge of the Court of Appeals of Georgia on May 16, 2018. Judge Brown previously served as a Superior Court Judge within the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit of eight counties (Baldwin, Greene, Hancock, Jasper, Jones, Morgan, Putnam, and Wilkinson) upon appointment by Governor Deal in 2012 Read More
• Elizabeth Gobeil
  Judge Elizabeth Gobeil was appointed by Governor Deal to the Court of Appeals of Georgia on June 5, 2018. In 2020, she was elected statewide to continue serving on the court. Born in Thomaston, Georgia to Bea and McKenzie (“Mack”) Dallas, Judge Gobeil graduated from Emory University in 1991 Read More
• Stephen S. Goss
  2018 – 2019 Judge Stephen S. Goss (Steve) was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal to serve as a judge on the Court of Appeals of Georgia effective August 1, 2018. Prior Read More
• Christian A. Coomer
  2018 – 2023 Judge Christian A. Coomer was appointed to the Court of Appeals of Georgia by Governor Nathan Deal and began serving on October 31, 2018 and subsequently elected to Read More
• Todd Markle
  Judge Todd Markle was appointed to the Court of Appeals of Georgia by Governor Nathan Deal on December 17, 2018. Prior to his appointment, Judge Markle served as a trial judge on the Superior Court of Fulton County. Judge Markle began his legal career in Atlanta in 1989. Read More
• Kenneth Bryant Hodges, III
  Kenneth (Ken) Bryant Hodges, III was elected to the Court of Appeals by the citizens of Georgia in 2018, winning every county in the state with wide bipartisan support in a hotly contested election for a rare open seat on the Court. Judge Hodges took office on January 1, 2019. Read More
• Trea Pipkin
  Judge Trea Pipkin was sworn in as Judge of the Court of Appeals of Georgia on April 10, 2020, after being appointed by Governor Brian Kemp. He is the 91st judge to serve on the Court. Before joining the Court of Appeals, Judge Pipkin served as a Superior Court Judge for the Flint Judicial Circuit Read More
• Verda M. Colvin
  2020 – 2021 Judge Verda M. Colvin was appointed by Governor Brian P. Kemp to the Court of Appeals of Georgia and sworn in on April 10, 2020.  Judge Colvin is Read More
• Andrew Pinson
  2021 – 2022 Judge Andrew A. Pinson was appointed to the Court of Appeals by Governor Brian Kemp and was sworn in on August 30, 2021. A native Georgian, Judge Pinson Read More
• Benjamin A. Land
  Benjamin A. Land was appointed as a judge of the Court of Appeals on July 20, 2022. A lifelong resident of Columbus, Judge Land graduated with Highest Honors as a First Honor Graduate, Summa Cum Laude, from the University of Georgia in 1989, finishing with a 4.0 grade point average. Read More
• Jeffrey A. Watkins
  2023 – Present Judge Jeffrey A. Watkins was appointed and sworn in by Governor Brian Kemp as the 95th judge of the Court of Appeals of Georgia on July 11, Read More
• J. Wade Padgett
  2024 – Present Judge J. Wade Padgett is a dedicated public servant, educator, and longtime member of the judiciary.  He was appointed by Governor Brian Kemp as the 96th judge Read More
• Jeffrey Davis
  2025 – Present Judge Jeff Davis was elected by the citizens of Georgia to the Court of Appeals in May 2024 after winning a contested statewide election for an open Read More