A state court of last resort / Established 1937

Supreme Court of Georgia

Atlanta · A court of last resort in Georgia.

The Supreme Court of Georgia is the highest court in Georgia. Its justices are chosen by nonpartisan election. This page lists every justice to serve on the court, current and former, with when they joined the bench and whom they succeeded.

44
Justices in history
6
Currently serving
Nonpartisan
Selection
6-yr
Term
Current justices
Former justices
JusticeYears
George H. Carley1993–2012
Carol W. Hunstein1992–2013
Leah W. Sears1992–2009
Norman S. Fletcher1990–2005
Willis B. Hunt Jr.1986–1995
Richard Bell1982–1992
Hardy Gregory Jr.1981–1989
George T. Smith1981–1991
Charles L. Weltner1981–1992
Harold G. Clarke1979–1994
Jesse G. Bowles1977–1981
Thomas O. Marshall1977–1989
Harold N. Hill1975–1986
Robert Howell Hall1974–1979
G Conley Ingram1973–1977
William B. Gunter1972–1977
Robert Henry Jordan1972–1982
Peyton Hawes1970–1973
Jule Wimberly Felton Sr.1969–1972
John Eccleston Frankum1967–1970
Hiram K. Undercofler1967–1981
Horace Elmo Nichols1966–1980
J Eugene Cook1965–1967
Benning M. Grice1960–1975
Joseph D. Quillian1960–1966
Carlton Mobley1954–1974
Homer Sutton1954–1954
Charles W. Worrill1953–1954
Bond Almand1949–1972
J Harold Hawkins1949–1960
Thomas S. Candler1945–1966
T Grady Head1945–1965
William Y. Atkinson Jr.1943–1953
R. C. Bell1943–1946
Lee R. Wyatt1943–1960
Samuel D. Hewlett1942–1942
W Henry Duckworth1938–1969
W Frank Jenkins1937–1948

How a justice reaches this court. Justices of the Supreme Court of Georgia are chosen in nonpartisan elections to 6-year terms. Midterm vacancies are filled by gubernatorial appointment, after which the appointee stands in a nonpartisan election. Selection methods vary by jurisdiction and have changed over time; this page reflects the court’s current method (source: National Center for State Courts). Open any justice to see their tenure and whom they succeeded.

Source: CourtListener / Free Law Project; selection method from the National Center for State Courts. Data last verified 2026-06-30. Verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).