Paige Reese Whitaker at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Current assignment
- Court of Appeals of Georgia
- Jurisdiction
- Georgia · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Paige Reese Whitaker
Judge · Court of Appeals of Georgia
Judicial assignments
- Court of Appeals of Georgia â Division 2Judge
Official Court of Appeals social-account announcement. Dated panel service; permanent division membership is not established.
Source checked October 15, 2026. Roster source
These published assignments do not certify a complete bench.
Biography
Professional career
- The 98th judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals, appointed by Governor Brian Kemp and sworn in on July 16, 2026, after a distinguished career as a prosecutor, appellate litigator, and Superior Court judge
- As a Senior Assistant Attorney General for the State for over a decade, she handled complex litigation in Georgia’s trial and appellate courts, while as a Deputy District Attorney in Fulton County, she headed the Appeals Division of the State’s largest and busiest district attorney’s office
Education
- bachelor’s degree — College of Charleston
- Law degree — Duke University School of Law
Additional information
- She presided over the Young Thug racketeering trial, inheriting the case in July 2024 after Chief Judge Ural Ganville recused himself.
- In February 2017, she was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal to the Superior Court bench of the Atlanta Judicial Circuit after being short-listed in late 2016 for a position on the Georgia Supreme Court.
- was appointed by Governor Brian Kemp as the 98
- th
- After graduating from law school, Judge Whitaker worked briefly at a real estate litigation firm before joining the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, where she served for over a decade under two different Attorneys General.
- Before joining the Court of Appeals, Judge Whitaker was President-Elect of the Council of Superior Court Judges and had served on its Budget, Legislative, Rules, Continuing Judicial Education, Bench and Bar, and Pattern Jury Charge Committees.
- She also served on the Judicial Council of Georgia’s Executive Committee, Budget Committee, and Ad Hoc Committee on Criminal Justice Reform, and on the Chief Justice’s Statewide COVID-19 Task Force as a Committee Chair.
- Paige Reese Whitaker currently sits as a superior court judge in the Atlanta Judicial Circuit, where she has served for almost a decade.
- Judge Whitaker is an elected member of the State Bar of Georgia’s Board of Governors and sits on its Advisory Committee on Legislation and its Disciplinary Rules and Procedures Committee.
- She is the immediate past-Chair of the Georgia Commission on Family Violence, an alumna of Leadership Atlanta, and a former adjunct professor of law.
- Whitaker is an elected member of the State Bar of Georgia’s Board of Governors, serves on its Advisory Committee on Legislation and Disciplinary Rules and Procedures Committee, and is President of the Lawyers Club of Atlanta.
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Recording and broadcasting
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.
Uniform Superior, Juvenile, Magistrate, Municipal and Probate Court RulesSupreme Court of Georgia, court orders amending Uniform Trial Court Rules ↗
Statewide
For Georgia Superior Court proceedings, statewide Rule 22 governs recording devices and courtroom recording; counsel should confirm judge approval and courtroom conditions before using recording, photographic, or comparable electronic presentation equipment.
The new version will take effect on May 1, 2018.Supreme Court of Georgia, New Rule 22 approved for use of recording devices in courtrooms ↗
Sources
Identity source checked August 25, 2026.
Biography sources checked September 6, 2026.
Supreme Court of Georgia, court orders amending Uniform Trial Court Rules
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Supreme Court of Georgia, court orders amending Uniform Trial Court Rules ↗Supreme Court of Georgia, New Rule 22 approved for use of recording devices in courtrooms
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Supreme Court of Georgia, New Rule 22 approved for use of recording devices in courtrooms ↗Judicial Council of Georgia Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 25, 2026
View Judicial Council of Georgia Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster ↗Georgia Governor 2026 executive orders
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 25, 2026
View Georgia Governor 2026 executive orders ↗