---
title: "Michael Hawkins | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-hawkins-ga-municipal-58af0204ce9168f520c4d534"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-08-25"
---

# Michael Hawkins

Dunwoody Municipal Court · Judge

## Profile

- Court: Dunwoody Municipal Court
- State: Georgia
- Role: Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-08-25

## Summary

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

## 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://georgiacourts.knack.com/gcd2/#directory-entries/entry-details/58af0204ce9168f520c4d534/)
- [Official roster](https://georgiacourts.knack.com/gcd2/#directory-entries/entry-details/58af0204ce9168f520c4d534/)
- [Supreme Court of Georgia, court orders amending Uniform Trial Court Rules](https://www.gasupreme.us/rules/amendments-to-rules)
- [Judicial Council of Georgia Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster](https://georgiacourts.knack.com/gcd2/#directory-entries/entry-details/58af0204ce9168f520c4d534/)

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## Biography

### Professional career

- His career highlights include service as a U.S. Attorney, military judge, and Ninth Circuit appellate judge, with a continued role in the judiciary as a senior judge since 2010
- Nominated by President Bill Clinton on July 13, 1994, to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, filling the seat vacated by Judge Thomas Tang
- Between these roles, he was a partner at the Phoenix law firm Daughton Hawkins Brockelman Guinan & Patterson from 1980 to 1994
- Began his legal career as a Special Courts Martial Military Judge in the United States Marine Corps from 1970 to 1973
- Michael Daly Hawkins is a distinguished federal judge with decades of experience in military, prosecutorial, and appellate law

### Education

- Later, he obtained a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1998, enhancing his expertise in federal appellate law
- Arizona State University College of Law in — J.D. (1970)
- Arizona State University in — B.A. (1967)

### Additional information

- He assumed senior status on February 12, 2010, continuing to hear cases while reducing his caseload
- He then held the role of the United States Attorney for Arizona from 1977 to 1980 and was a Special Prosecutor for the Navajo Nation from 1985 to 1989.
- After leaving the military, he practiced privately until 1976.
- Michael Daly Hawkins was born on February 12, 1945, in Winslow, Arizona.
- During his tenure, Hawkins has participated in numerous appellate decisions and has been involved in high-profile cases, including matters related to civil rights and public safety.
- He has also contributed to legal scholarship and held the role of a mentor to younger judges and attorneys.
- The American Bar Association rated him Unanimously Well Qualified for the position.



## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [Uniform Municipal Court Rules, December 31, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-9acfd5d59c7a383c114b177a) — Municipal Court proceedings, including expressly stated civil/criminal limitations. 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/2/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/01171708/UNIFORM-MUNICIPAL-COURT-RULES-12312025.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.