---
title: "Stephen Louis A. Dillard | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/stephen-louis-a-dillard-ga-ec889b3c5fb8"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-09-06"
---

# Stephen Louis A. Dillard

Court of Appeals of Georgia · Presiding Judge

## Profile

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

## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge of the Court of Appeals of Georgia, appointed in 2010 and currently serving as Presiding Judge of the Court’s Third Division
- In 2024, Judge Dillard was appointed by Chief Justice Michael P
- On July 1, 2017, Judge Dillard was sworn in as the 30th Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia for a two-year term that ended on June 30, 2019
- was appointed as the 73rd judge of the Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia on November 1, 2010 by Governor Sonny Perdue
- Legal Practice: 1996–2001: Attorney at Stone & Baxter, Macon, GA 2001–2003: Law clerk to Judge Daniel A. Manion, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit 2003–2010: Of counsel and chair of appellate practice group at James, Bates, Pope & Spivey LLP, Macon, GA
- In September 2003, Judge Dillard joined James Bates as of counsel, specialized in appellate practice and complex litigation, and served as the founding chairperson of the firm’s appellate practice group
- After graduating from law school, Judge Dillard joined the Macon law firm of Stone and Baxter, where he practiced from 1996 until 2001.

### Education



### Additional information

- Judge Dillard was elected and then reelected by his fellow Georgians in 2012, 2018, and 2024.
- Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- handling pro bono publico appeals for indigent individuals.
- Current Division: Presiding Judge of the Third Division (previously Fourth Division)
- He also served as president of the Mississippi College Chapter of the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies.
- Honors include the Judge Robert G. Gillespie Outstanding Achievement in Appellate Advocacy Award and the American Jurisprudence Award in Appellate Advocacy
- Birth place: Nashville, Tennessee on November

## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.gaappeals.gov/stephen-dillard/)
- [Official roster](https://www.gaappeals.gov/stephen-dillard/)
- [Georgia Courts Directory](https://georgiacourts.knack.com/gcd2/#directory-entries/entry-details/58af01ccce9168f520c4ce01/)
- [Official biography source for Stephen Louis A. Dillard](https://www.gaappeals.gov/stephen-dillard/)

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## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [GA judicial conduct Rule 2.8 — courtroom order and courtesy](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-966932b4143407baf629735a) — State judicial courts only; published Code version February 1, 2024. Shared decorum baseline; does not establish complete court-specific practice. Shared baseline only, not a judge-specific preference or complete local rules inventory. Apply source exceptions, case-type limits, later amendments and case orders. [Official source](https://www.gasupreme.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Code-of-Judicial-Conduct-2024_02_01.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.