Vice Chief Judge Amanda H. Mercier will be sworn in as the next Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals on June 22, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. in the Court of Appeals courtroom in the Nathan Deal Judicial Building. Judge Trenton Brown will also be sworn in as the court’s new Vice Chief. Both judges were elected by their peers earlier this year to serve two-year terms, which will become effective on July 1, 2023.
Outgoing Chief Judge Brian Rickman has high praise for his fellow judge from the North Georgia mountains. “Judge Mercier is a classic servant leader, and has always worked hard, both behind the scenes and on the bench. I am confident that the court is in good hands with her at its helm for the next two years.”
“I am honored to serve the court and my fellow judges,” said Vice Chief Judge Mercier, who will be the fifth woman to serve as chief judge of the court. She said, “I know that I can call on my fellow judges for advice and support if I need it, and I am lucky to be serving with three of the four women who have already served as chief, who have been helpful and supportive to me since I came to the court.” She added, “The women judges and lawyers who came before me worked hard to open doors, and I will keep opening those doors for the next generation.”
All four women jurists who have served as chief judges of the court plan to attend the investiture ceremony, including Judge Dorothy Toth Beasley, Presiding Judge Anne Elizabeth Barnes, Presiding Judge M. Yvette Miller, and Presiding Judge Sara L. Doyle.
Judge Beasley, who was the first woman appointed to the Court of Appeals in 1984, said, “As the Court’s first female chief judge over 25 years ago (1995-96), I am pleased to join the Court in celebrating Chief Judge Mercier’s installation as the fifth woman, thus continuing to uphold the Court’s motto, which recognizes that the ‘rights of free men and women depend on the integrity, wisdom and independence of the judiciary.’” In 1992, Judge Beasley encouraged her fellow judges to include the words “and women” in its motto, adding a visible expression of the court’s dedication to diverse representation.
Vice Chief Judge Mercier sat on the Superior Court in the Appalachian Circuit for six years before joining the Court of Appeals in 2016, and was in private practice for nine years before that.
The Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals is responsible for the administration of the Court and serves as the Court’s spokesperson, and traditionally goes to the most senior judge on the court who has not previously served in the position. The Vice Chief Judge serves in the Chief Judge’s absence, and undertakes a variety of duties at the court.