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title: "Amanda H. Mercier | KnowJudges"
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---

# Amanda H. Mercier

Court of Appeals of Georgia · Chief Judge

## Profile

- Court: Court of Appeals of Georgia
- State: Georgia
- Role: Chief Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-08-25

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Biography

### Professional career

- Amanda H. Mercier is the Chief Judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals, appointed in 2015 and re‐elected in 2024, with a career spanning private practice, Superior Court service, and appellate judicial leadership
- Mercier became Chief Judge on June 22, 2023, for a term starting July 1, 2023, and is the fifth woman to lead the court
- Practiced both criminal and civil litigation from 2001 until her appointment as a Superior Court Judge in 2010
- Began her legal career in 2001 as an associate in the Law Office of David E. Ralston
- She also served as the attorney coach for the Fannin County High School Mock Trial Team for several years
- Upon being sworn in as a Superior Court Judge, Judge Mercier became actively involved in the many accountability courts in the Appalachian Judicial Circuit, and was the presiding judge of the Appalachian Judicial Circuit Mental Health Court
- She completed a year‐long externship with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York and was elected to the Order of the Coif
- She also held the role of a part‐time solicitor for Ellijay City Court and was active in local bar associations

### Education


### Additional information

- She also currently serves as a member of the Georgia Commission on Dispute Resolution and served as a member of the Judicial Council Ad Hoc Committee on Criminal Justice Reform in 2018.
- She ran uncontested in the 2018 judicial election and was re‐elected in May 2024 for a term through 2031
- In 2018 she was elected to serve a full six year term after an uncontested election, and re-elected in 2024.
- was appointed to the Georgia Court of Appeals by Governor Nathan Deal and took office on January 4, 2016.
- On October 29, 2015, Governor Nathan Deal appointed her to the Georgia Court of Appeals, a position she assumed on January 4, 2016.
- In 2012, the voters of the Appalachian Judicial Circuit, which includes Fannin, Gilmer, and Pickens Counties, elected Judge Mercier to serve a full four year term after an uncontested election.
- She was re‐elected in 2012
- 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.
- In 2010, Governor Sonny Perdue appointed her to the Appalachian Judicial Circuit Superior Court (Fannin, Gilmer, and Pickens Counties), where she subsequently became presiding judge of the Mental Health Court.
- She graduated cum laude from Fannin County High School in 1994, obtained a B.A. from the University of Georgia in 1998, and a J.D. magna cum laude from Syracuse University College of Law in 2001.
- handling criminal and civil litigation.
- Has served a term as the president of the Appalachian Judicial Circuit Bar Association.
- Appointed by Governor Nathan Deal to two successive terms on the Georgia Commission on Family Violence.
- Previously Vice Chief Judge
- While still in private practice, she was actively involved in her local Chamber of Commerce, and served as chairperson for the Governmental Affairs Committee of the Fannin County Chamber of Commerce.
- As a member of the Council of Superior Court Judges, she served on the Legislation Committee, Accountability Courts Committee, Pattern Jury Committee, and Uniform Rules Committee.
- She is a member of the Federalist Society
- She has served on the Georgia Commission on Family Violence, Georgia Commission on Dispute Resolution, and the Judicial Council Ad Hoc Committee on Criminal Justice Reform.

## Before you appear

- Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.
- Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.
- Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

## Courtroom Rules

### electronic devices and recording

Scope: statewide

Georgia's class-specific Uniform Court Rules govern electronic devices and recording in state trial courts. Before using recording, photography, livestreaming, or similar courtroom technology, confirm the governing rule and the assigned court's procedure.

Evidence excerpt: Uniform Superior, Juvenile, Magistrate, Municipal and Probate Court Rules

[Supreme Court of Georgia, court orders amending Uniform Trial Court Rules](https://www.gasupreme.us/rules/amendments-to-rules)
Source checked: 2026-07-26


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.gaappeals.gov/amanda-h-mercier/)
- [Official roster](https://www.gaappeals.gov/amanda-h-mercier/)
- [Court of Appeals of Georgia official judicial roster](https://www.gaappeals.gov/judges/)
- [Supreme Court of Georgia, court orders amending Uniform Trial Court Rules](https://www.gasupreme.us/rules/amendments-to-rules)
- [Georgia Courts Directory](https://georgiacourts.knack.com/gcd2/#directory-entries/entry-details/58af01ccce9168f520c4cdf5/)
- [Official biography source for Amanda H. Mercier](https://www.gaappeals.gov/amanda-h-mercier/)

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