Judge David Motes: Biography & Judicial Service | KnowJudges

# David Motes
Senior Judge · [Banks County Superior Court](/kyj/court/ga/banks-county-superior-court)

## Judicial assignments
[Piedmont Judicial Circuit](/kyj/court/ga/piedmont-judicial-circuit)Senior Judge — circuit affiliation; court class unconfirmedThe official Senior Judges directory lists this circuit affiliation. A specific current assignment is not established. Senior judge available for assignment; this does not establish a current primary assignment.
Source checked October 15, 2026. [Roster source 1](https://georgiacourts.knack.com/gcd2/#home/directory-entries/5c4729114bf5d828e0c5bee5/) · [Roster source 2](https://us-api.knack.com/v1/pages/scene_1/views/view_5/records?rows_per_page=1000&page=1&filters=%7B%22match%22%3A+%22and%22%2C+%22rules%22%3A+%5B%7B%22field%22%3A+%22field_19%22%2C+%22operator%22%3A+%22is%22%2C+%22value%22%3A+%22Senior+Judges%22%7D%5D%7D)
These published assignments do not certify a complete bench.

## David Motes at a glance
Current roleSenior Judge
Court[Banks County Superior Court](/kyj/court/ga/banks-county-superior-court)
Current assignment[Banks County Superior Court](/kyj/court/ga/banks-county-superior-court)
JurisdictionGeorgia · State
Judicial serviceActive

## Biography

### Professional career

- Prominent judge in Georgia’s judicial system, serving as Chief Judge of the Piedmont Circuit of the 10th Superior Court District from 1995 until his retirement in 2018
- Held the role of a judge in Jackson County from 1988 to 1995 Appointed to the Piedmont Circuit of the 10th Superior Court in 1995 Held the position until retirement on October 31, 2018
- Judicial Philosophy: Motes opposed mandatory minimum sentencing laws, arguing that “justice isn’t one size fits all” and that sentencing should consider individual circumstances

### Education


### Additional information

- Motes cited inconsistent witness testimony, trial errors, and questionable jury instructions under Georgia’s “13th juror” standard, which allows a judge to grant a new trial out of conscience
- He released Hamilton on bond, calling it “an act of courage” and refusing to end his career with what he believed was an injustice

## Sources

Identity source checked August 25, 2026.
01
### Georgia Courts Directory
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 25, 2026
[View Georgia Courts Directory ↗](https://georgiacourts.knack.com/gcd2/#directory-entries/entry-details/5c4729114bf5d828e0c5bee5/)

[Public Records & Data Use](/public-records-data-use) · [Corrections policy](/corrections)

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## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [Uniform Superior Court Rules](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-815bee855bfd141a25d75d36) — Superior Court proceedings. Collected April 9, 2026 compilation; amendments effective November 5, 2026 are future on this collection date and are not applied. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://assets.georgiacourts.gov/4/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/14025702/UNIFORM-SUPERIOR-COURT-RULES-2026_04_09.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.