Georgia Court of Appeals

Judges of the 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.	”
—Georgia Court of Appeals, official website

 

Georgia Court of Appeals
Court information
Judges:	15
Founded:	1906
Salary:	Associates: $187,990
Judicial selection
Method:	Nonpartisan election of judges
Term:	6 years

Judges

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
Brian Rickman	January 1, 2016 - Present	Nathan Deal
J. Wade Padgett	April 3, 2024 - Present	Brian Kemp
Anne Barnes	January 1, 1999 - Present	Elected
Chris McFadden	January 1, 2011 - Present	Elected
Stephen Dillard	2010 - Present	Sonny Perdue
Sara Doyle	January 1, 2009 - Present	Elected
Elizabeth Gobeil	2018 - Present	Nathan Deal
D. Todd Markle	2018 - Present	Nathan Deal
Ken Hodges	2018 - Present	Elected
Yvette Miller	1999 - Present	Roy E. Barnes
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
Ben Land	July 20, 2022 - Present	Brian Kemp
Jeffrey A. Watkins	July 11, 2023 - Present	Brian Kemp
C. Andrew Fuller	August 7, 2023 - Present	Georgia Court of Appeals

Chief judge

Amanda Mercier is the current chief judge.

Judicial selection

See also: Judicial selection in Georgia

The fifteen judges on the Georgia Court of Appeals are chosen in nonpartisan elections to serve six-year terms. If they wish to continue serving, they must run for re-election.

Qualifications

To serve on this court, a judge must be:

• a resident of Georgia; and
• admitted to practice law for at least seven years.

Chief judge

Judges of the Georgia Court of Appeals serve as chief judge on generally a two-year rotating basis, based on seniority. The chief judge of the court has the authority given by statute to appoint a presiding judge for each of the five divisions of the court.

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state supreme courts

If a vacancy appears on the court, the position is filled by assisted appointment. The governor chooses an appointee from a list of qualified candidates compiled by the judicial nominating commission. As of March 2023, the judicial nominating commission consisted of 35 members, each appointed by the governor. For each court vacancy, the commission recommends candidates, but the governor is not bound to the commission's choices and may choose to appoint a judge not found on the list. If appointed, an interim judge must run in the next general election held at least six months after the appointment, and, if confirmed by voters, he or she may finish the rest of the predecessor's term.

Ethics

The Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct sets forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates in Georgia. It consists of four overarching canons:

“

Canon 1: "Judges shall uphold the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary and shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all of their activities" Canon 2: "Judges shall perform the duties of judicial office impartially, competently, and diligently" Canon 3: "Judges shall regulate their extra-judicial activities to minimize the risk of conflict with their judicial duties" Canon 4: "Judges shall refrain from political activity inappropriate to their judicial office"

”

The full text of the Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct can be found here.

Removal

Judges in Georgia may be removed in one of two ways:

• By the Judicial Qualifications Commission of Georgia, which may discipline, remove, or retire a judge. The removal or retirement of a judge must be approved by the Georgia Supreme Court.
• By an impeachment of the judge by the Georgia House of Representatives and a conviction by a two-thirds vote of the members of the Georgia State Senate.

Elections

2024

See also: Georgia intermediate appellate court elections, 2024

The terms of seven Georgia intermediate appellate court judges will expire on December 31, 2024. The seven seats were up for nonpartisan election on May 21, 2024. The filing deadline was March 8, 2024.

Candidates and results

General election

General election for Georgia Court of Appeals

Incumbent Jeffrey A. Watkins won election in the general election for Georgia Court of Appeals on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jeffrey A. Watkins (Nonpartisan)	100.0	1,041,637

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,041,637
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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General election

General election for Georgia Court of Appeals

Incumbent Ken Hodges won election in the general election for Georgia Court of Appeals on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ken Hodges (Nonpartisan)	100.0	1,052,361

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,052,361
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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General election

General election for Georgia Court of Appeals

Incumbent Ben Land won election in the general election for Georgia Court of Appeals on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ben Land (Nonpartisan)	100.0	1,044,117

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,044,117
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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General election

General election for Georgia Court of Appeals

Jeff Davis defeated Tabitha Ponder in the general election for Georgia Court of Appeals on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jeff Davis (Nonpartisan)	57.1	636,193
		Tabitha Ponder (Nonpartisan)	42.9	477,885

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,114,078
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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General election

General election for Georgia Court of Appeals

Incumbent Stephen Dillard won election in the general election for Georgia Court of Appeals on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Stephen Dillard (Nonpartisan)	100.0	1,050,079

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,050,079
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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General election

General election for Georgia Court of Appeals

Incumbent Brian Rickman won election in the general election for Georgia Court of Appeals on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brian Rickman (Nonpartisan)	100.0	1,040,358

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,040,358
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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General election

General election for Georgia Court of Appeals

Incumbent Amanda Mercier won election in the general election for Georgia Court of Appeals on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Amanda Mercier (Nonpartisan)	100.0	1,047,454

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,047,454
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2022

See also: Georgia intermediate appellate court elections, 2022

The terms of four Georgia intermediate appellate court judges expired on December 31, 2022. The four seats were up for nonpartisan election on May 24, 2022.

General election

General election for Georgia Court of Appeals

Incumbent Anne Barnes won election in the general election for Georgia Court of Appeals on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Anne Barnes (Nonpartisan)	100.0	1,626,523

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,626,523
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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General election

General election for Georgia Court of Appeals

Incumbent Chris McFadden won election in the general election for Georgia Court of Appeals on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris McFadden (Nonpartisan)	100.0	1,620,325

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,620,325
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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General election

Special general election for Georgia Court of Appeals

Incumbent John Pipkin III won election in the special general election for Georgia Court of Appeals on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Pipkin III (Nonpartisan)	100.0	1,606,449

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,606,449
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2020

See also: Georgia intermediate appellate court elections, 2020

The terms of seven Georgia Court of Appeals justices expired on December 31, 2020. The seven seats were up for nonpartisan election on May 19, 2020. A full term on the court is six years.

General election

General election for Georgia Court of Appeals

Incumbent E. Trenton Brown III won election in the general election for Georgia Court of Appeals on June 9, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		E. Trenton Brown III (Nonpartisan)	100.0	1,935,624

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,935,624
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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General election

General election for Georgia Court of Appeals

Incumbent Christian Coomer won election in the general election for Georgia Court of Appeals on June 9, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Christian Coomer (Nonpartisan)	100.0	1,916,688

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,916,688
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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General election

General election for Georgia Court of Appeals

Incumbent Sara Doyle won election in the general election for Georgia Court of Appeals on June 9, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sara Doyle (Nonpartisan)	100.0	1,941,037

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,941,037
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Tabitha Ponder (Nonpartisan)
• Audrey Berland (Nonpartisan)
• Nicole Leet (Nonpartisan)
• Lyndsey Rudder (Nonpartisan)
• Bennett Bryan (Nonpartisan)
• Judy Aust (Nonpartisan)
• Kimberly Bourroughs Debrow (Nonpartisan)

General election

General election for Georgia Court of Appeals

Incumbent Elizabeth Gobeil won election in the general election for Georgia Court of Appeals on June 9, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Elizabeth Gobeil (Nonpartisan)	100.0	1,917,995

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,917,995
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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General election

General election for Georgia Court of Appeals

Incumbent D. Todd Markle won election in the general election for Georgia Court of Appeals on June 9, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		D. Todd Markle (Nonpartisan)	100.0	1,907,855

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,907,855
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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McMillian's seat

McMillian's name appeared on the ballot in 2020 but the election was canceled due to her appointment to the Georgia Supreme Court. Click here for more information.

2018

See also: Georgia intermediate appellate court elections, 2018

The terms of eight Georgia Court of Appeals judges expired on December 31, 2018. All stood for nonpartisan election by voters in 2018 in order to remain on the bench.

Candidates and results

Miller's seat

General election

General election for Georgia Court of Appeals

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Yvette Miller (Nonpartisan)	100.0	895,451

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 895,451
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Dillard's seat

General election

General election for Georgia Court of Appeals

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Stephen Dillard (Nonpartisan)	100.0	881,916

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 881,916
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Ellington vacancy

General election

General election for Georgia Court of Appeals

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ken Hodges (Nonpartisan)	69.9	665,875
		Ken Shigley (Nonpartisan)	30.1	286,093

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 951,968
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Rickman's seat

General election

General election for Georgia Court of Appeals

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brian Rickman (Nonpartisan)	100.0	879,575

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 879,575
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Mercier's seat

General election

General election for Georgia Court of Appeals

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Amanda Mercier (Nonpartisan)	100.0	892,718

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 892,718
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Bethel's seat

General election

General election for Georgia Court of Appeals

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Charlie Bethel (Nonpartisan)	100.0	886,924

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 886,924
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Reese's seat

General election

General election for Georgia Court of Appeals

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Clyde Reese (Nonpartisan)	100.0	879,627

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 879,627
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Judges not on the ballot

• John Ellington

2016

Candidates

■ Anne Barnes (Incumbent/Unopposed)
■ Chris McFadden (Incumbent/Unopposed)

Election results

Georgia Court of Appeals, Anne Barnes' Seat, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Anne Barnes Incumbent (unopposed)	100.00%	783,227
Total Votes (159 of 159: 100%)		783,227
Source: Georgia Secretary of State Official Results

Georgia Court of Appeals, Chris McFadden's Seat, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Chris McFadden Incumbent (unopposed)	100.00%	774,428
Total Votes (159 of 159: 100%)		774,428
Source: Georgia Secretary of State Official Results

2014

Unopposed	Judge William M. Ray, II (Ray, II)

Unopposed	Judge Carla W. McMillian (McMillian)

Unopposed	Judge Sara Doyle (Doyle)

Unopposed	Judge Elizabeth Branch (Branch)

Unopposed	Judge Gary Andrews (Andrews)

See also: Georgia judicial elections, 2014

2012

Candidate	Incumbency	Primary Vote	Election Vote
PhippsHerbert Phipps   A	Yes		99%   A
EllingtonJohn Ellington   A	Yes		99%   A
BoggsMichael P. Boggs   A	Yes		99%   A
DillardStephen Dillard   A	Yes		99%   A
MillerYvette Miller   A	Yes		99.7%   A

See also: Georgia judicial elections, 2012

History

The Georgia Bar Association first proposed the Georgia Court of Appeals in 1895. The association launched a campaign to secure an intermediate court between trial courts and the Georgia Supreme Court. Eleven years after the first proposal a bill to submit to the electorate an Amendment to the State Constitution creating a Court of Appeals and defining its jurisdiction was approved almost unanimously by the Georgia legislature. The amendment went on to be ratified by the electorate on October 3, 1906. The Supreme Court maintained final appellate jurisdiction in capital felonies, and its precedents were binding to the Court of Appeals, but certain civil cases are given final appellate jurisdiction over certain civil cases.

State profile

Demographic data for Georgia
	Georgia	U.S.
Total population:	10,199,398	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	57,513	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	60.2%	73.6%
Black/African American:	30.9%	12.6%
Asian:	3.6%	5.1%
Native American:	0.3%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.1%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	9.1%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	85.4%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	28.8%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$49,620	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	21.1%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Georgia. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Georgia

Georgia voted Republican in five out of the six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in Georgia, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Georgia had five Retained Pivot Counties, 2.76 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.

More Georgia coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in Georgia
• United States congressional delegations from Georgia
• Public policy in Georgia
• Endorsers in Georgia
• Georgia fact checks
• More...

See also

Georgia	Judicial Selection	More Courts
Courts in Georgia Georgia Court of Appeals Georgia Supreme Court	Elections: 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 Gubernatorial appointments Judicial selection in Georgia	Federal courts State courts Local courts

External links

• Georgia Court of Appeals

Footnotes

Georgia courts

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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