Courts in Georgia

More information on Georgia's state courts:

Selection methods
Elections
Salaries
Federal courts

In Georgia, there are three federal district courts, a state supreme court, a state court of appeals, and trial courts with both general and limited jurisdiction. These courts serve different purposes, which are outlined in the sections below.

Click a link for information about that court type.

* Federal courts
* State supreme court
* State court of appeals
* Trial courts

The image below depicts the flow of cases through Georgia's state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.

The structure of Georgia's state court system.

## Contents

* 1 Judicial selection process
* 2 Federal courts
* 2.1 Active judges
* 2.1.1 Northern District
* 2.1.2 Middle District
* 2.1.3 Southern District
* 2.2 District map
* 2.3 Judicial selection
* 2.4 Bankruptcy courts
* 3 State supreme court
* 4 State court of appeals
* 5 Trial courts
* 5.1 State superior court
* 5.2 Probate courts
* 5.3 State courts
* 5.4 Magistrate courts
* 5.5 Municipal courts
* 5.6 Juvenile courts
* 5.7 Business courts
* 6 In other states
* 7 See also
* 8 External links
* 9 Footnotes

## Judicial selection process[edit]

See also: Georgia judicial elections and Judicial selection in Georgia

Selection of state court judges in Georgia occurs primarily through nonpartisan elections, though interim vacancies in the appellate and general jurisdiction courts are filled by assisted appointment.[1] The limited jurisdiction courts vary in their selection methods, employing a mix of appointment, partisan elections and nonpartisan elections.[2]

To read more about judicial elections in Georgia, click here.

## Federal courts[edit]

The federal district courts in Georgia are the:

* United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
* United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
* United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia

Appeals from these districts go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.

### Active judges[edit]

#### Northern District[edit]

Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law

|
|
|
|

Timothy Batten

George W. Bush (R)

|  March 28, 2006 -  |

Georgia Institute of Technology, 1981

University of Georgia Law, 1984

Steve C. Jones

Barack Obama (D)

|  March 3, 2011 -  |

University of Georgia, 1978

University of Georgia Law, 1987

Leigh Martin May

Barack Obama (D)

|  November 14, 2014 -  |

Georgia Inst. of Tech, 1993

University of Georgia Law, 1998

Eleanor L. Ross

Barack Obama (D)

|  November 20, 2014 -  |

American University, 1989

University of Houston, 1994

Mark Howard Cohen

Barack Obama (D)

|  November 20, 2014 -  |

Emory, 1976

Emory Law, 1979

Michael L. Brown

Donald Trump (R)

|  January 17, 2018 -  |

Georgetown University, 1991

University of Georgia School of Law, 1994

William Ray

Donald Trump (R)

|  October 25, 2018 -  |

University of Georgia, 1985

University of Georgia School of Law, 1990

Jean-Paul Boulee

Donald Trump (R)

|  June 14, 2019 -  |

Washington and Lee University, 1993

University of Georgia School of Law, 1996

Steven Grimberg

Donald Trump (R)

|  September 13, 2019 -  |

University of Florida, 1995

Emory University School of Law, 1998

Victoria Calvert

Joe Biden (D)

|  April 5, 2022 -  |

Duke University, 2003

New York University Law School, 2006

Sarah Geraghty

Joe Biden (D)

|  April 8, 2022 -  |

Northwestern University, 1996

University of Michigan Law School, 1999

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

* Democrat appointed: 6
* Republican appointed: 5

#### Middle District[edit]

Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law

|
|
|
|

Clay Land

George W. Bush (R)

|  December 21, 2001 -  |

University of Georgia, 1982

University of Georgia Law, 1985

Marc Thomas Treadwell

Barack Obama (D)

|  June 22, 2010 -  |

Valdosta State University, 1978

Mercer University Law, 1981

Leslie Abrams Gardner

Barack Obama (D)

|  November 20, 2014 -  |

Brown University, 1997

Yale Law, 2002

Tilman E. Self

Donald Trump (R)

|  March 7, 2018 -  |

The Military College of South Carolina, 1990

University of Georgia School of Law, 1997

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

* Democrat appointed: 2
* Republican appointed: 2

#### Southern District[edit]

Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law

|
|
|
|

Lisa Wood

George W. Bush (R)

|  February 8, 2007 -  |

University of Georgia, 1985

University of Georgia School of Law, 1990

James Hall

George W. Bush (R)

|  April 29, 2008 -  |

Augusta College, 1979

University of Georgia School of Law, 1982

Stan Baker

Donald Trump (R)

|  August 30, 2018 -  |

Davidson College, 2001

University of Georgia, 2004

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

* Democrat appointed: 0
* Republican appointed: 3

### District map[edit]

### Judicial selection[edit]

Judges who sit on the federal district courts are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate. These judges serve life terms. To read more about the judges on these courts, click here.

### Bankruptcy courts[edit]

There are three federal bankruptcy courts in Georgia. These courts have subject-matter jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases. The federal bankruptcy courts in Georgia are:

* United States bankruptcy court, Northern District of Georgia
* United States bankruptcy court, Middle District of Georgia
* United States bankruptcy court, Southern District of Georgia

## State supreme court[edit]

See also: Georgia Supreme Court

Founded in 1845, the Georgia Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has nine judgeships.

This 1983 Georgia Constitution gives the Georgia Supreme Court exclusive appellate jurisdiction over constitutional cases and election contest cases. The court also has general appellate jurisdiction over land title, will and equity cases, divorce and alimony cases, certified cases, death penalty cases, and writs of habeas corpus or certiorari. The court may also exercise jurisdiction over Georgia Court of Appeals cases found to be of great public importance.[3]

The table below lists the current judges of the Georgia Supreme Court and the appointing governor.

Judge | Appointed By

|

Michael P. Boggs

Nathan Deal (R)

David Nahmias

Sonny Perdue (R)

Nels Peterson

Nathan Deal (R)

Charlie Bethel

Nathan Deal (R)

John Ellington

Elected

Carla W. McMillian

Brian Kemp (R)

Sarah Warren

Nathan Deal (R)

Shawn Ellen LaGrua

Brian Kemp (R)

Verda Colvin

Brian Kemp (R)

## State court of appeals[edit]

See also: Georgia Court of Appeals

The Georgia Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court in Georgia. It was established in 1906 and has five divisions with three judges each. According to information provided by the court's official source:

“  | The Court of Appeals has statewide appellate jurisdiction of all cases except those involving constitutional questions, murder, and habeas corpus cases where original appellate jurisdiction lies with the Supreme Court. The Court of Appeals may certify legal questions to the Supreme Court.[4] | ”

|
|

—Georgia Court of Appeals, official website[5]

There are 15 judges on the court, which increased from 12 effective January 2016. During the 2015 legislative session, Gov. Nathan Deal (R) and legislators agreed to add another three-judge panel to the court of appeals to ease the court's caseload.[6] The Judicial Nominating Commission received more than 200 nominations and submitted a list of 11 nominees to the governor on October 26, 2015.[7] Judges serve six-year terms beginning on January 1 after their election. Judges who are appointed to fill vacancies serve "until January 1 of the year following the next general election which is more than six months after such person's appointment."[8]

Judge | Tenure | Appointed By

|
|

Clyde Reese

December 1, 2016 - Present

Nathan Deal

Brian Rickman

January 1, 2016 - Present

Nathan Deal

Anne Barnes

January 1, 1999 - Present

Elected

Chris McFadden

January 1, 2011 - Present

Elected

Stephen Dillard

2010 - Present

Sonny Perdue

Yvette Miller

1999 - Present

Roy E. Barnes

Sara Doyle

January 1, 2009 - Present

Elected

Elizabeth Gobeil

2018 - Present

Nathan Deal

Christian Coomer

October 31, 2018 - Present

Nathan Deal

D. Todd Markle

2018 - Present

Nathan Deal

Ken Hodges

2018 - Present

Elected

E. Trenton Brown III

2018 - Present

Nathan Deal

John Pipkin III

April 10, 2020 - Present

Brian Kemp

Amanda Mercier

January 1, 2016 - Present

Nathan Deal

Andrew Pinson

August 30, 2021 - Present

Brian Kemp

## Trial courts[edit]

### State superior court[edit]

See also: Georgia Superior Courts

The Superior Courts of Georgia have general jurisdiction over trial cases in the state, handling civil and criminal cases. The court also holds equity jurisdiction over all cases of divorce, title to land, and felonies requiring jury trials.[9]

### Probate courts[edit]

See also: Georgia Probate Courts

The Georgia Probate Courts have exclusive jurisdiction over the probate of wills, overseeing of estates, appointment of guardians, and the involuntary hospitalization of incapacitated adults, and over the issuance of firearm and marriage licenses.[10] There is a probate court for every county in Georgia.

### State courts[edit]

See also: Georgia State Courts

The State Courts of Georgia were created by predesignating certain county courts of limited jurisdiction. These courts exercise jurisdiction over all misdemeanor violations and all civil action except in cases were the Superior Courts have exclusive jurisdiction.[10]

### Magistrate courts[edit]

See also: Georgia Magistrate Courts

The Magistrate Courts of Georgia are courts that have limited jurisdiction and do not hold jury trials.

The Magistrate Courts have jurisdiction over the following:[10]

* claims of no more than $15,000
* minor criminal offenses
* distress warrants
* county ordinance violations
* deposit account fraud
* Preliminary hearings
* arrest and search warrants

### Municipal courts[edit]

See also: Georgia Municipal Courts

The Georgia Municipal Courts serve incorporated municipalities and try ordinance violations, issue criminal warrants, conduct preliminary hearings, and hear misdemeanor shoplifting and possession of marijuana cases. There are 368 such courts in the state.[11][12]

### Juvenile courts[edit]

See also: Georgia Juvenile Courts

The Georgia Juvenile Courts have limited jurisdiction over delinquent children under the age of 17 and in special cases under the age of 18. The Juvenile Courts have concurrent jurisdiction with the Superior Courts in some cases including capital felonies, custody and child support cases, and terminating parental rights.[12]

### Business courts[edit]

See also: Georgia Business Court

The Georgia State-wide Business Court has concurrent jurisdiction with the Georgia Superior Courts over equity cases and cases involving securities, the commercial code, internal business affairs, professional malpractice resulting from a business dispute, breach of contract claims between businesses, and more as provided by law.[13]

## In other states[edit]

Click the map below to explore the court structure in other states.

Choose your state...AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington, D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

http://ballotpedia.org/Courts_in_STATE

## See also[edit]

* Judicial selection in Georgia
* Georgia judicial elections

## External links[edit]

| Suggest a link

|

* Search Google News for this topic
* Administrative Office of the Courts of Georgia, "Courts of Georgia Diagram"

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Georgia," archived October 2, 2014
2. ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Georgia; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 2, 2014
3. ↑ Georgia Supreme Court Official Site
4. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
5. ↑ Georgia Court of Appeals, "Official site," accessed May 18, 2014
6. ↑ Randy Evans, Atlanta Business Journal, Georgia Court of Appeals: So many applicants, so few slots," September 11, 2015
7. ↑ Johnny Kauffman, WABE, "3 New Judges Coming To Georgia Court Of Appeals," October 26, 2015
8. ↑ Georgia Constitution, "Article VI, Section 7," accessed May 18, 2014
9. ↑ Georgia Superior Courts, "Welcome," accessed March 2, 2021
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Georgia Superior Courts, "What is the difference between State, Magistrate, Probate & Superior Courts?," accessed March 2, 2021
11. ↑ Georgia Council of Municipal Court Judges: About
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Georgia Courts, "Legislator's Guide to the Judicial Branch," January 2007
13. ↑ Georgia State Legislature, "House Bill 239," accessed September 5, 2019

Georgia courts

* * *

Federal courts:

Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Middle District of Georgia, Northern District of Georgia, Southern District of Georgia • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Middle District of Georgia, Northern District of Georgia, Southern District of Georgia

State courts:

Georgia Supreme Court • Georgia Court of Appeals • Georgia Superior Courts • Georgia State Courts • Georgia Business Court • Georgia Juvenile Courts • Georgia Probate Courts • Georgia Magistrate Courts • Georgia Municipal Courts

State resources:

Courts in Georgia • Georgia judicial elections • Judicial selection in Georgia

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